Get Out, Get Away
by kimiko888
Summary: Sakura has finally gotten out of her abusive relationship but the problem is staying away from him. Can going back to her past she tried so hard to forget, heal the wounds the cut so deep into her heart?
1. Runaway

**Okay my latest fanfic. You guys better enjoy this because I spent my time writing this brainstorm instead of studying for a test and ended up with a 68 so be sure to review. Now time to get started.**

_**THIS HAS BEEN REVISED!!!!!!!!!!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

_**Get Out, Get Away**_

**Chapter 1: Runaway**

Sakura sat on the tattered couch in the living room of the run-down apartment she shared with her boyfriend, cross-legged with the newspaper held up in front of her and a birgh highlighter ready in one hand. Her green eyes scanned the paper intently for a bold 'WANTED' sign. She was so concentrated on finding a much needed job she failed to hear the key turning in the lock, announcing the precsence of her boyfriend.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Sakura's head snapped up to meet the dark, angry eyes of her boyfriend. She shivered a bit at his intense glare as she struggled to readjust the paper. Her hands shook as she reached for theentertainment section to place over the clasifies, but his pace was too fast and in a second hew was in front of Sakura, snatching the paper from her hands. He frowned deeply at what he saw.

Sakura scooted farther away from him and was pressed firmly against the other side of the couch trying to control the shakiness in her voice before she spoke.

"Sasuke. It's just…." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I want a job," she spoke in a clear voice. "I need one."

"You don't need a job!" Sasuke yelled standing up and glowering down at the pink-haired girl who was pressed against the arm of the chair.

Sakura's eyes narrowed at Sasuke though he towered over her. She couldn't have a job because she didn't succumb to his want. And for that she was to be cooped up in their shitty apartment until she finally broke under pressure and gave up her morals. Once she did what he wanted she would be free to once again wander the outdoor world. Just because she believed in restraint she couldn't ge a job that would really help them out.

"Sasuke I—"

"You don't need a job!" Sasuke repeated again with even more anger and hate as he stepped slightly closer to Sakura.

"I do need a job!" Sakura snapped. "This place is a dump! There are roaches in the bathroom, paints peeling off the walls, we have nothing but ripped and holey furniture, and the walls are paper thin! I can hear the neighbors every word!"

I t went vice versa too. The neighbors could hear every shout of anger and scream of pain that left Sakura's mouth. They had gotten so many complaints Sakura thanked god they haven't been kicked out yet.

"Then you don't deserve a job."

"Sasuke…" Sakura's voice instantly darkened and was stern as a reply to what he was hinting. She didn't deserve a job because she stuck to her promise she made someone when she was younger. "It's the rule."

"And who said rules aren't meant to be broken?" His voice went from furious to a seductive tone as he dropped back down onto the couch and moved closer to Sakura who tried to roll up in the tiniest ball possible.

"No," she bit out. "I'm not doing it."

"Dammit Sakura!" Sasuke's anger flared and his fist made an imprint on the couch arm, very close to Sakura's face, making her jump. "Its just sex Sakura. What two people do when they're in love." His voice was soft and inviting again his face just and inch away from her own and his breath warm on her face. His eyes took on the fake innocent look he liked to try. "Don't you love me Sakura?"

_No._ Sakura silently answere to herself. After four months of living with Sasuke who was pressuring her into sex and beating her when she refused the answer was obvious. _Absolutely not._

"Don't you love me?" Sasuke asked again when he was met with Sakura's silence. His voice was impatient and angry. "Say you love me." Sakura was still silent. "Say it!"

Sakura leaned further away refusing to tell a lie. "No sex until marriage," she simply stated, flinching only at Sasuke's deep growl and let out the breath she seemed to be holding forever when he finally got off the couch to storm off into the tiny kitchen only no more than five steps away.

"Then I guess you won't have a job until marriage."

"What!" Sakura shouted, clearly outraged as she shot up to follow Sasuke. "I want to try to help us out and you're not going to let me get a job because I'm not letting you get in my pants!?" she glared at his back that was facing her, rigid and tense. "You horny bastard!"

Sakura instantly regretted the words that spilled from her mouth when she saw Sasuke's eye's flash in anger and the cures mark on his neck pulse.

The curse mark brought back horrible memories. One though was clearer than all the other beatings it has caused when Sasuke would loose it. She could remember the tears she said and the pain she felt when he first lost control and beat her. She also remembered the anger that vibrated through her body once she remembered what caused him to loose control: her commitment to keep her virginity.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and walked up slowly to Sakura giving her a dangerous glare.

"What did you say?" He asked daring her to continue.

Sakura took the dare with narrowed eyes. There was one time she used to be terrified of Sasuke—she still is due to the power he could inflict on her—but she soon learned that no matter what she did if she didn't give it up he was going to loose it.

"I said," she narrowed her eyes even more, as if it was possible. "You horny bastard."

That did it. Sasuke snapped and swung his hand across Sakura's cheek, sending her stumbling back a bit. There was only a second before another blow was painfully delivered.

Sakura yelled in pain as Sasuke continued to strike, at some points begging him to stop and throwing in her own hits but it was useless against his brute stregnth. Her mouth was open. She was sure of it, but it was as if no one heard her pleas. She begged, he didn't listen. She cried for help, but the neighbors seemed to be deaf because, like always, help never came. She opened her mouth but to everyone it was sealed shut.

Sakura rolled to the side just in time to avoid a drop kick that was aiming for her ribs. She began to crawl to the kitchen drawers and opened one up blindly searching for a knife or something to defend herself with. She came up empty handed with nothing but a plastic serving spoon which was useless against the attack Sasuke delivered her, knocking her back to the ground on her stomach.

A firm kick landed in Sakura's side and she screamed out in pain as she slid across the grimy floor of the apartment. How many times will she have to be kicked before it stopped. Before she eventually broke under the pain. Before she finally keeled over in all her blood and took her last breath. How Long?

Sasuke's attack paused and his back began to arch and he hunched over bringing his body more inward. Sakura knew exactly what was happening: Sasuke was sprouting his wings. Once the wings were full grown, creepy looking hand-wings were out there was no stopping to Sasuke. He was undefeatable then.

"_Sasuke…" her voice was extremely shaky as she stepped back away from the demon in front of her. His back now sported two purple hand-like wings and his teeth were bared, showing off sharp fangs. "Whats going on?" Her hand reached to grip the handle of a knife waiting for her on the counter._

_Sasuke's eyes snapped opened, blood red, and he lunged for Sakura who held the knife out in front of her in defense and it pierced him in the gut and blood trickled down his front, but when she looked up to see what had happened he looked unfazed._

"_Ow," he voice was sarcastic. "That hurt." He then flexed his hands, showing off his new claws and went in for antoher attack on Sakura._

Thinking quickly, Sakura scrambled off the ground while Sasuke was in his immobile state and threw open the door to the fridge grabbing four of Sasuke's afternoon beers. Then moving over to the growling and thrashing Sasuke she raised one bottle over his head and brought it crashing down on his head. Then another, and another.

Finally Sasuke fell to the ground, but he was still breathing.

Sakura looked at his motionless form and refused to shed a tear for what she had just done. He was only unconcious. She had been left that way, much too many times in the past few months.

She was tired of always being pushed around because she was determined to keep her promises and her morals. She was tired of this dump she was forced to sleep in. She was tired of being locked up 24/7. She was tired of it all. Tired of her life, and she decided it was time for a change.

Slowly getting up and clutching parts of her body where Sasuke's sharp claws had tore into her flesh, Sakura shuffled to the bedroom with a torn wallpaper a small t.v with a full size bed. She walked over to the tiny closet in the corner of the room and pulled out a beat up duffle bag and threw it on the bed. She grabbed handfuls of clothes and quickly stuffed them in the bag. She dashed-well quickly limped- to the bathroom, threw off her pajamas and changed into a pair of torn jeans and a white tank. She grabbed her toothbrush, brush, and comb and shoved them in the bag. Reaching for her coat, Sakura slipped it on and shoved her feet into her only pair of battered shoes.

Sakura hurried for the front door with the bag hauled over her sore shoulder. She stopped to grab her laptop that was a gift her friend, Tenten had given her. Sakura then lifted a wilted plant wresting by the dirty kitchen window and pulled out her secret stash that held 500 dollars.

Looking back only once at the crappy life and boyfriend she was finally leaving behind, Sakura stepped out into the dingy hall and ran while trying to hide her bloody face from the citizens.

_I'm finally free. _Sakura thought wearily with relief as she fought to stay conscious long enough to reach her destination.

Sakura ran as fast as she could to the hospital and that was a couple of blocks away. She hurried to the large building in the pouring rain, splashing through deep puddles letting the freezing water seep through her ragedy sneakers.

Sakura had just got into the lobby of the hospital when she felt dizzy and weak from her amount of blood loss and the exertion she put into running.

_Guess his claws cut deeper than usual this time._

A lady working the front desk had just noticed Sakura's uncertain stance and Sakura only saw a glimpse of the lady shooting out of her seat before she fell unconcious, letting the bright lights of the hospital reveal her bloody face.

"GET HER TO EMERGENCY!"

-0-0-0-0-0-

Sakura was still in the hospital a week later, sitting up in her small bed, typing on her laptop with the tv playing soap operas she payed little to no attention too. She had no visitors—she told the hospital attendants not to tell anyone of her accident yet—and she was still pretty bandaged up. The only real thing that was keeping her hopitalized was that she needed her test results.

"Ms. Haruno?"

Sakura turned her attention away from the her screen to the man in glasses and a white lab coat with a clip board in his hand who was standing in threshold of her room.

"Yes?"

The doctor took this as an invitation into her room and came in and took a seat in the chair that wasn't occupied by Sakura's bag.

"We've gotten your results back."

Sakura took a deep breath and held it for a second before exhaling through her nose. "And…"

The doctor swallowed, unsure. "There seems that there was some extreme damage taken in to the lower abdomen, right where you uterus is and its seemed to have undergo some serious, serious damage. We found deep lacerations in the area." The doctor paused unsure of how to continue. He sighed when he realized he'd just have to blurt it out. "There is a good possibility that you…"

Sakura waited her hands knotting around each other.

"You may not be able to have any children."


	2. Go Back, You Can't Stay Here

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**What's that I feel in the air? Is it extreme hate for my late update and...Are those tomatoes in y'all hands! NOOOOOO. I'm sorry extremely sorry but I actually got my idea a looooong time ago but never updated I owe you all a HUGE apology so I'll try to update as much as possible. I know I deserve those tomatoes but just wait till the end of the chapter.**

_**Get Out, Get Away**_

**Chapter 2: Go Back, You can't stay here**

Sakura's eyes finally began to open and she immediately shot up before wincing at the aftershock of the pain. When the pain began to subside she began to take in her surroundings. She realized the soft support under her was due to a small twin sized bed. She looked around the room and was able to notice the familiar pale yellow walls in the dark with the help of the moonlight that shined through the window on her left. She also saw toys splattered across the floor and another bed similar to the one she laid on the other side of the room.

Sakura slowly stood up, fighting the urge to yelp in pain and making sure she wasn't too dizzy. Finally she made her way to the door, tripping and stumbling over a few of the toys in the mine field. She reached the door and slowly opened it before making her way down the dark hall toward the steps. Gripping tightly to the rail Sakura walked down the steps and squinted at the blinding light that awaited her at the bottom.

"SAKURA!"

The pink haired girl cringed at the sound of her best friend's loud voice. She turned in the direction of the worried blonde standing beside her husband.

"Hey Ino." Sakura whispered hoarsely with a sheepish grin."

"Hey Ino? Hey Ino!" Her friend had a hysteric look on her face. "I get a call from the hospital saying you need to be picked up and there you are bandaged and unconscious, scaring the hell out of me and all you can say is HEY INO!"

"Ino..." Choji tried to calm his eccentric wife.

"Choji don't start with me?"

Choji stepped back from Ino letting her get it all out.

"Sakura what the hell happened to you? I had to get Choji to carry you to Yano and Ema's room. I thought you died from too much damage. Why were you at the hospital in the first place?" The questions ran from Ino's mouth not giving Sakura a chance to respond.

Sakura sighed painfully as she recalled the events from a week earlier. She walked over to the living room that was located only a couple of steps away from where she stood. She moved some of the twin's toys to the side and carefully set herself down on the couch about to tell Ino the secret she's been hiding for a long time.

"I had to get out of there. I just couldn't live like that anymore." Sakura whispered quietly just loud enough for Choji and Ino to hear with her head hung.

"Living in a beat up apartment doesn't explain the hospital or all the bandages." Ino responded taking a seat beside Sakura motioning to her bandaged arms before staring her down intently searching for answers.

"Not just the apartment. Him. Sasuke. I put up with him for months and I can't take it!"

"And the injuries..." Ino prompted even though she had a thought of where it came from she didn't want it to be true.

"The injuries," Sakura took a deep shuddering breath before continuing. "The injuries are from him. Apparently keeping promises is too much and back sassing is unacceptable." Sakura angrily spat as the stinging behind her eyes began, letting her know that tears were on the way.

"H-he beat you?" Ino whispered shocked still trying to take it in. Choji had gone rigid in his seat across from the two women, his body extremely tense and his face twisted with extreme anger and hate.

"I knew he was no good." he mumbled to himself angrily curling his hands into fists.

"Close to murder sometimes." Sakura said as the tears falling down her cheeks changed from tears of sadness to tears of anger as her head snapped up. "He didn't even try to fight it either! He liked having all that power over me. See me cringe in fear like a coward in a corner every damn night! He didn't give a damn! That power hungry son of a bitch!"

Ino was pissed as well but was completely lost to what Sakura was talking about. Didn't try to fight what?

"Slow down. What the hell are you talking about?"

"You remember that thing on Sasuke's neck he got in high school, and we all thought it was a tattoo?"

"Yeah."

"Well it's a curse mark. When he gets mad it pulses and he'll transform into some...some...creature! He has claws and is extremely strong. And when he grows the wings he becomes immune to pain until he goes back to normal. He told me he would try to fight it but for the past few months it's almost like he enjoys it.

"He's been abusing you the last four months?" Ino gasped in horror.

Sakura hung her head once again, ashamed.

"Why didn't you call the police or me?" Ino yelled standing from her seat and pacing the living room floor.

"I didn't have phone access and we have a shared e-mail account so he could read anything I sent. I was a prisoner."

"Sakura," Ino turned her hurt and still angry eyes to her best friend. "Why didn't you just leave earlier?"

"I didn't have enough money then and now I've only got 500 bucks and I didn't know where to go. And I thought that maybe...maybe he would go back to the way he was when we met." Sakura was quiet for a second before biting back her tears and continuing. "But that wasn't happening and I couldn't take it anymore today so I just left."

Ino stopped her angry, frantic pacing when he realized the risk Sakura had taken just to get to her house. When Sasuke got back to find and an empty apartment the first place he would look was there. Sakura would easily be found and locked back up in the hell she once called home getting beat constantly.

"Sakura you can't stay here."

Sakura snapped her head up afraid of what her friend meant she was the only friend she had in this city besides Temari, who had too many adopted kids to take her in. Living on the streets was too dangerous and too easy of a way for him to find her again.

"What?" she breathed out not believing it.

"The first place he's going to look for you is here and there is no way I'm letting you go back to that prison."

Sakura was starting to understand what Ino was getting at but was still confused on some parts. "Then where will I go?"

"Back."

Sakura's eyes widened and she immediately shook her head. That was out of the question.

"I-I can't go back there." She whispered lowly.

Ino went up to Sakura and grabbed her shoulders forcing their gazes to lock. "You have to. There is only a little bit of time before he comes looking for you and that is the last place he will ever look." Ino knew for sure that Sasuke would never think of Sakura going to the place that caused her so much heartache.

Flashes of the people left behind so many years ago flashed through her mind. Her mom, mentor, dad..._him._ All of those who heart she broke with her loyalty to Sasuke. What would they think of her when she came crawling back to them, proving them all right?

"Ino you know I can't. You remember everyone I left and then where will I live? There is no way my parents are gonna let twenty-four year old me back into their house. I'll find somewhere else j-just not there."

"Sakura," Ino barked her serious eyes set on her. "You are going there if I have to drag you and throw in the train. I'm sure Tenten and Neji will let you stay with them for a while and sacrifice some of their billions of dollars to get you into college. Then you could look for a job and rent out an apartment. I am getting you out of here no matter what."

"B-but…"

"Look Sakura, If this about N-" Ino stopped short when she saw Sakura flinch. "If this is about him you're just going to have to get over that. There are more important problems then facing him."

Sakura could feel more tears wet her lashes as she fought to try to keep memories of him locked away.

"I-I… I can't—"

"Then I'll drag you on the train." Ino cut her off with a firm voice that told Sakura she wasn't kidding.

Sakura sucked in her breath as she tried to settle her emotions before finally nodding.

"Fine."

"Good. Now get your stuff I think they have a train running in an hour to Konaha."

Sakura hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should tell her friend just how serious her injuries were, but when she saw Ino's overly stressed face already she held her tongue. That could stay her own little secret for just a bit longer.

"Let's go."

_**-0-0-0-0-0-**_

_**I was going to make this chapter and the next in the same chapter but it didn't sound right so that's why I made 2 chapters. I might get the next one up either tonight or tomorrow or at least I'll try. Now that you've read the chapter I'll take the tomatoes as well as a few reviews please!**_

_**~Kimiko888~**_


	3. The Storm Inside

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Well I decided I felt like writing b/c I need to update this story that and the fact I'm in a pretty good mood so here it is Chapter 3 of Get Out, Get Away. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**_Get Out, Get Away_**

**Chapter 3: The Storm Inside**

Naruto was sprawled out on the bench beside the walk that stretched its way around the park, his trashbag and garbage pick abandoned a good six feet away. His long legs hung over the edge of the bench and his arms stretched behind his head so his hand cradeled his head. The striking blue of his eyes stared into the dark sky, watching the large clouds creep closer up to the park.

He had abandoned his community service of picking trash off the park grounds to look up at the sky. He loved days like this. These days matched his permanent mood. The clouds steady raindrops matched his tears of pain and anger run down his cheeks in the dark of the night when he was locked up in his apartment. The booming of the thunder were like his agonized shouts of anger when he went to vent on forest, using trees as his punching bags. The dark clouds that brung on a gloomy mood matched his depressed and angry mood.

The storm was inside him.

A single raindrop fell and hit his nose, sliding down its slope leaving a stream behind. He thought of the rain as everybody's tears that had collected over time. Knowing others shared his pain and hardship, his anger and rage, brung him to peace. He sometimes would make up stories of the reason a person was crying when the rain first started out and he could count the drops that made contact with his skin. Depending on his mood was what the stories were. If he was more a relaxed upset the stories would be simple like a break-up or divorce. If he was angry and pissed off he might think of someone's family member dying a horrible death at the hands of a malicious murder.

Then on the days he was just feeling depressed he would let the a raindrop hit and remember his own pitiful story that brung him into the state to love the rain instead of the warm sunny days.

_She faced him fully her eyes filled with tears that he didn't care about at all at the moment. She was going to step on to that train with the bastard who he knew was no good and leave him behind. Her abandonment was like a slap in the face that she didn't care for him like he did for her. A slap to the real world. The world in which she had always avoided him and left when it ever came to Sasuke. She didn't care about him._

_His eyes were steal and cold. Hate visible through his eyes and his lips in a thin hard line, contrasting greatly from his usual sparkling eyes and bright smile. _

_"Naruto...." she began her hand stretching out to touch him but he stepped back glaring at her._

_"Don't come crawling back, crying to me when it all goes wrong." he spat before turning his back on her and marching his way out of the terminal. _

_She didn't need him and he wasn't going to get on his hands and knees and beg._

Naruto shook his head ruffly and sneered at the memory. There were no dark clouds that day or angry thunder or painful tears falling from the sky. Nothing giving her an obvious sighn that her choice was the wrong one. Words didn't even make it pass the layer of pink hair gaurding her ears, for she was deaf to his warnings. The sky was bright and wonderful but the storm inside of him was a tornado of whirling emotions.

The rain was coming down harder and parents were snatching their kids from swings and slides hurrying them to ther parking lot and into their cars. The children shrieked in their high pitched voices as the water wet their hair and clothes. He only sat enjoying the tears of others drenching his black clad figure. While others ran from the sorrow filled sky he welcomed their tears in comfort. Knowing his problems could always be worse.

He stayed there, on his bench, for another good ten minutes before his body began to shiver and he had to get up and dry himself off before work. He peeled himself from the bench and stretched before pushing his soggy bangs away from his forehead. Slowly, so to test how stiff his body was, he bent over to grab the trashbag and pick. He then went to the supply shed to dump off his tools before slowly heading for the exit of the park.

He didn't have a car so he was forced to walk the two miles back to his apartment. He walked with hunch shoulders slowly through the town while the citizens ran for the covering of awnings and dashed across streets. The windshield wipers of the cars move back and forth furiously trying to keep the driver's view clear. Naruto strolled down the sidewalks with his hood up sniffling everynow and then to keep the snot from dripping.

When Naruto finally arrived at his small apartment he only had twenty minutes before he had to be at Sanya's to work his shift. He took a quick shower and shook out his wet hair before throwing a pair of black slacks and a white button up dress shirt. He grabbed his jacket and umbrella before exiting the apartment. He looked up at the gray sky before opening up his umbrella and being engulfed in the pitter patter of the rain hitting his umbrella.

Such a pity to have to work on a beautiful day.

~0~

"Sakura! Over here!"

The twenty-four year old looked around the crowded station until she saw Tenten jumping up and down waving a poster with her name written on it frantically next to her stoic-unless aroud Tenten- but handsome husband, a grin plastered on her face. When Tenten saw Sakua had seen her he tossed the she tossed sign to the ground and almost tackled Sakura to the ground with a bear hug.

"Man, I forgot how strong you are." Sakura managed to breathe out when she finally caught her breath

"Well I got to stay in shape." Tenten said pulling back and smiling wide. "Man, I forgot how thin you are. Lets go eat!" Tenten announced, clapping her hands.

"Umm... Tenten don't you think Sakura would like the rest of her luggage?" Neji asked stopping his wife who was heading towards the exit.

"Oh, umm, thats not needed. I only have one bag and here it is." Sakura said lifting her duffle bag that was thrown over her shoulder to show.

Tenten looked at it skeptically. "Note to self. After eating we go shopping." Tenten said smiling before leading the way out the train station and towards the expensive black Mercedes Benz waiting in front of the train station,so they wouldn't be soaked by the rain,with a driver waiting. Neji took Sakura's one bag and put it in the trunk while Sakura and Tenten slid across the leather seats into the back and Neji took the passenger's seat.

"So...considering its your first day back in the lovely city of Konaha," Tenten began. "Where would you like to eat?"

Sakura pondered for a minute considering what her taste buds were craving. For so long had she want some of the traditional chinese food of Konaha and now she was able to satisfy her craving. She let her mind wander back to some of her favorite places she used to eat when she was still living here. Finally her mind was made up.

"Sanya's."

Tenten's smile faultered and she cast an uncertin look towards Neji in the passengers seat. "Umm...I don't think we should go there..." she trailed off looking at Sakura's confused face.

"Why not?"

"The food isn't the same. Sanya is getting old and her memory is slipping."

"Well no better time then to recharge it with an old face." Sakura stated firmly.

"So to Sanya's?" the driver asked looking a Neji. Tenten was tense but Neji nodded his head anyways.

"Better sooner than later." he muttered under his breath before his phone rang and he was engrossed in what sounded like an important buisness call.

Sakura didn't hear this comment and looked out the window watching the scenery flyby and memories flood her mind of first and last. The doctors office where she had her first check up. The playground where she broke her first bone. Her first kiss under the sakura tree with somebody she couldn't recall in first grade. Then the school where she had her last class. The train station where he had her last goodbye with Nar-him. The fountain where she wrote her last paper for school. Memories flooded her mind.

They finally came to a stop in front of Sanya's and the three of them unloaded out of the car. Sakura' spirits immediately lifted as she let the smells of the restaurant wafted towards her and dominated her sense of smell. Her mouth almost hung out like a dog with drool forming from the side of her mouth.

"Lets not make her wait any longer." Tenten said sarcasticaly before linking her arms with Sakura and leading them towards the entrance with Neji holding an umbrella over their heads. When they reached the door she only hesitated a moment before Sakura tugged her through the threshold and into the warm restaurant.

When the staff saw Neji they immediately scrambled to get a table ready for the wealthy buisness man and hurried off with lots of smiles and bows once they were finally seated.

"The ups of a wealthy life." Sakura murmured before lifting her menu and letting her eyes wander over the menu. There were a few changes as to the desserts and the main courses but still close enough to what Sakura remembered.

"Not always so good though." Tenten commented. "Neji is always on the phone." she finished shooting a glare at Neji who hleld his hands up in a not-my-fault way.

Sakura lifted the menu up higher until her entire head was lost under it with interest, her mouth drooling from all the possibilities of what she could eat. It has been a long time since she would be able to have a real meal not from the convinence store.

"So what store would you like to hit first?" Tenten asked dropping her own menu. "Its only two thirty now so we have a lot of the afternoon-"

"What can I get ya?" a bored voice asked with a sigh.

Sakura lowered her menu to answer when she caught sight of their server. His eyes were the same as she last time she saw them. Briliant sky blue and cold and luckily not looking at her yet but at the pad waiting exspectingly for an order to write down. His hair was still a lovely blonde but a bit wet still. He seemed to have even grow taller. He was gorgeous.

Sakura was so taken up by him just being there she forgot to speak and the silence irritated him.

"I don't have all day-" he stopped when his eyes snapped to the attendants of the table immediately noticing the pink hair. His eyes widened in shock before his settled them in a narrow slant.

"Naru-"

"Bitch." he sneered before abandoning the table to get somebody else to cover it. Thunder clapped loud in his ears and his body shook with anger and he bit down on his lip to keep from yelling out in rage and pain.

He did not want to see her.

Not at all.

**_~0~_**

**_My mind is kind of brain dead at the moment so I'm leaving it there considering I still need some brain power to do my math homework. umm...I guess you should review and give me your opinion. If you have something to say that is negative don't just leave it at 'this sucks' tell me why or I will serious blow my top and get pissed off._**

**_~kimiko888~_**


	4. I Need a Drink

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Yes as usual I am a horrible writer who waited so long to finally update. Seriously how horrible am I to make you wait an entire two months especially with the ending of my last chapter. Better yet don't answer that. In fact just read this chapter and review. Yeah that sounds like a great idea. R/R.**

_**Get Out, Get Away**_

**Chapter 4: I Need a Drink**

"Hey Naruto, where are you…"

"Sai!" Naruto smiled his best fake smile as he paused his speedy escape for the back door of the restaurant. "I'm going to need you to cover the rest of my shift."

"What? Why?" the confused waitor asked.

"Family Emergency." Naruto thought quickly, cursing himself silently when he realized the flaw in his excuse. _Screw it. _He quickly untied his apron and shoved it into Sai's chest, giving him a quick pat on the back. "I owe ya." He then continued down the hall to the back entry way that would release him into the alley.

"Wait!" Sai called to the blonde's retreating back. "You don't have a—"

"Thanks Sai!" Naruto called out before pushing open the back door and exiting the restaurant and into the alley. The world's tears instantly began the process of drenching him and he instantly felt more in place with rain pounding on his back.

He needed something that will dull his senses for the rest of the night. Make him senselessly clueless and easily forgetful. Make him dumb as a doorknob. Utterly stupid. Make him forget about the selfish, hateful bitch that was just sitting in his section.

"I need a drink." He mumbled, running his hands throug his wet hair before exiting the alley and jogging across the streat to where a small bar was.

~0~

_No wonder Naruto ran away. _Sai thought as he approached the table Naruto had just abandoned. _The girl is horrendous._

"HI, I'm Sai and I will be your server for the remainder of the night since your previous one had an emergency to attend to." Sai recited easily, his common fake smile present on his face. "What can I get you to drink?"

Sakura stared at the menu through blurred eyes. She bit down on her lip trying to keep the hot tears at bay. Her hands held onto the menu thightly, her knuckles turning white.

She was being stupid.

She knew it was coming. She was lucky he only said one word to her. Yet he said it with so much hate and disgust it was as if he had just lectured her for an entire hour spitting out nothing but hateful comments. That one word was enough for her to feel like she was the lowest of the low. In fact she belived she was.

She knew he wasn't going to welcome her with open arms or a bright smile that lit her day when she still lived in Konoha. She knew he wasn't going to kiss the ground where she walked, glad to have her back. He probably would rather she never came back at all.

_Bitch._

Yes. He was much better off with her gone.

"Sakura," Tenten spoke up, snatching Sakura from her inner thoughts. "Your drink."

What did they sell here that would numb her pain and make her forget her misery and drop her into a bubbly daze?

"I'll have some sake."

~0~

"Hey…don't you think you should slow down a bit?" the bar tender asked a little wary as he cautiously eyed the sixth drink he handed the far-from-sober Naruto.

"You're getting paid ain't ya?" Naruto spat out in a slurred grunt.

"Ever heard of a DUI?" the bartender spoke back sarcastically.

"Ever heard of, don't got a car?" Naruto sneered, glaring at the blurry bartender through narrowed eyes.

"Whatever man." The bartender sighed before resuming his work on cleaning glasses.

Naruto only grunted in resonse and looked down at the drink in his hand. His senses were dull, his vision blurred and his speech seriously fucked up, but his memory was still clear as day. He cold remember everything. The beer proved to be nothing but a useless piece of shit. He still saw her wide, innocent looking green eyes in shock. Her hair was still cut short around her schoulder and her frame thin. Almost too thin. Hadn't she been eating enou—

He took a swig of beer. He had seriously lost it to actually be _worrying_ about her.

"Stupid bitch." He mumbled under his breath before downing the rest of his drink. "Got me actually caring for her even after all that sh—"

"NARUTO!" cried out a happy old man as he delivered a hard smack to the middle of his disciple's back.

Naruto tried not to grimance at the pervert's arrival but failed. "Ero-sennin." He dead panned waving the bartender over so he could get him another drink.

"Isn't it great you finally made it to be able to drink legally. Now we cand get some male bonding down at the bar." Jaraiya commented as he hopped up on a stool beside Naruto, ordering his own drink.

"Shouldn't you be writing or getting some of your _research _done?"

"I also have to make sure you stay out of trouble." His tone then turned serious as he turned to look at Naruto, giving him a stern look. "If you make one more screw up Tsunade and I aren't going to be able to save your ass again. It won't be community service next time but they're going to send you to jail."

"I ain't gonna do anything stupid." Naruto declared before gulping down another drink, ignoring the burn in the back of his throat as the alchohol made its journey down to his stomach.

"All that alchohol is going to dull your senses and make you dumb as hell and when you get into a bar fight and almost die the kyu—"

"I'm not that drunk!" Naruto protested loudly, glaring at his mentor before redirecting the heated gaze to the beer that rested in front of him. "I stell can remember her stupid p—"

"Forget her, Naruto." Jaraiya ordered. "What sense does it make to let the memory of Sakura cause you all this trouble? You're going to let her get you in jail!"

"She's not a memory any more." The blonde seethed through clenched teeth. "She came back. She's sitting in my section at Sanya'with Neji and Tenten being served by Sai."

The old man let this new information process through his brain for a second before he spoke up again. "So you're going to let the sight of that girl drive you to insanity?"

"You're a horrible mentor." Naruto mumbled under his breath before downing the last of his beer. "You still don't see how this all affects me." He then slid off his seat smacking his money down on the counter. "Go back to spying on naked women."

"You do _WHAT!?"_

Naruto then stormed out of the bar, not bothering to hang around to enjoy the humor of the angry women ganging up on his mentor.

How could that man possibly think it was so easy to forget Sakura? The love of his shitty life that left him for that bastard!

Naruto punched a brick wall as his anger flared.

He should forget that hateful, selfish, bitch, but he couldn't. She left him at the station with a fresh red mark when realization slapped him dead in the face. She loved the bastard and he was nothing to her. Just a black smudge on her otherwise perfect life and she didn't think twice about leaving since he would be gone.

But now she was back.

_Why _was she back? Was that Sasuke bastard with her? Vacation? Visiting friends? Here to torture him even more with her unwanted prescence?

But her prescence stopped him from wondering what she wa up to for all those months. He would no longer have to stay up late at night, wondering if she was even still alive. He wouldn't have to question her health and he would know what she would be doing.

A growl rumbled deep in Naruto's chest as he stumbled along the sidewald, hands gracing buildings for support when he was about to fall.

He hated this feeling; hating her and wanting to see her at the same time. Why couldn't we feel hat and want at separate times? Couldn't there be no such thing as mixed emotions? Just feel hate and hate alone and love without any other feeling like regret or sadness.

Naruto's free hand clenched into a tight fist. He knew where his emotions were leading him; back down the road to Sakura's table so he could stare at her like he always did, mind lost in memories and crazy thoughts. He didn't want to go back to being her damn doormat or the hard to remove smudge.

He'd damn himself to hell if he did.

~0~

"She won't be taking anymore." Tentin answered for Sakura before Sai could even ask is Sakura wanted yet another drink. "Bring her some hot tea." She ordered with a wave of her hand and Sai scurried to comply to the wealthy buisness man's wife's demand.

Sakura didn't even bother glarign at Tenten for answering the un-asked question. Another drink wouldn't do her any good. She probably had already downed an entire bottle of sake but her memories still drowned her mind. The only think more sake was going to do was mke her hangover tomorrow morning even worse. It did nothing to discharge her memories.

"…drinking yourself stupid isn't going to help anything." Tenten's lecture invaded Sakura's ears. She turned to see her friend's stern face before looking down at her food again, Tenten's words once again falling deaf to her ears.

She knew sake wasn't going to fix what she screwed up those four months ago, but would anything? She had a pretty firm feeling in her gut that just apologizing would mean nothing to this new unapprocahble Naruto who held a heart of steel. Could persestence break down some barriers? No, he'd probably get annoyed and pissed off. What could she do to make ammends?

"..I'm sure Natuo…"

_"Don't come crawling back, crying to me when it all goes wrong."_

Sakura shuddered at the flashback when she saw his entire personality change before her very eyes. Hes sparkling, lively blue eyes instantly lost there spark, the fire dying out, and were replaced with stony hateful ones. His bright smiled vanished pemanently into a sneer or grimance. His heart full of passion and the urge to never give up finally gave in and froze over like the north pole.

And she was the cause of it all.

Sakura's elbows hit the table hard, causing their dishes to clatter, as she drew her hands up to cover her face and her shoulders shook. That cruel, cold-hearted man that stood before her earlier was her own creation. What her abandonment did to him. What she was terrified to return to was her punishment for being so stupid and naïve.

She was finally facing her own creation.

It terrifed her.

"Sakura?" Tenten's voice had lost its lecturing tone is was now wary to her friend's crying and shaking. "Sakura?" she tried again but only recived a quiet sob in response.

She looked up at her husband who had his translucent eyes trained to the pinkette having a mental break down in the middle of lunch. When he finally looked up to meet his wife's worried eyes a look of understanding past between them.

It was time for them to leave.

Neji got up from his seat and walked over to the mournful girl before lifting her, her hands still covering her face in shame. He adjusted himself so his arms wrapped around Sakura, all her weight leaning on him. Tenten picked up their umbrella before following the two of them out the door, opening the umbrella to protect them all from the pouring rain.

"We'll go shopping tomorrow." Tenten spoke softly to her friend as they made their way to the car parked on the curb in front of Sanya's. "We need to get you home."

As she said this Sakura's tears only leaked faster from her eyes. She didn't belong with people who actually cared for her. Not when she destroyed one boy's hopes and turned him into a completely different person. She did not deserve such kindness when she was so selfish to leave without caring what happened to others. Not even having to deal with the consequences of her decision at the time.

She didn't deserve yet she still took.

She hated herself for it.

She was a selfish, hateful, cruel bitch.

And only one person truly knew it.

_**~0~**_

_**I've been doing a 2,000 word minimum for all my chapter and for a second there I was afraid I wasn't going to make it. I was going to have this up sooner today but I took a break to go to the movies to see Wolverine. AMAZING!!! Anywho just glad I got it up. Please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!**_

_**~Kimiko888~**_


	5. Just a Push

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**I had an idea yesterday for the other half of the story, wrote it on paper and updated for you all to read this morning. If you aren't just starting the story you must REREAD THE FIRST CHAPTER B/C THERE HAVE BEEN SOME REVISING DONE. You really need to read the first chapter b/c a reference is made in this chapter but that's it. Nothing else really changed, so you don't have to reread the entire story. Anyways let's get to chapter 5 of Get Out, Get Away!**

_**Get Out, Get Away**_

**Chapter 5: Just a Push**

"I'm going to fix this." Tenten declared as she handed Neji his jacket. "Sakura and I are going to the park today during his shift."

"You saw what happened last night, just leave it alone."

"But what happened last night wasn't _real._ Naruto only acted that way because it was the first time they've seen each other after that cold hearted departure. In truth he really loves Sakura and once they spend a lot of time together it will be back to normal. No, they'll be in love this time. All they need is a little push from me to get the forgiving process started."

Neji shook his head at his wife. "This is more like a shove."

"Well they aren't going to do anything and you should face your problems head on." Tenten fixed Neji's tie for him. "That is why Sakura's mom should be here in a minute or two."

"Tenten."

"It's getting the process started!" She smoothed down his tie. "It's all going to work out." She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I love you."

Neji shook his head again at his wife's ideas and smiled slightly. "Love you, too."

-0-0-0-0-0-

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

The loud banging sound at the door echoed in Naruto's head over and over again making him cringe. The noise was like a hammer had hit him in the head a million times and wasn't planning on stopping. He slowly opened his eyes and quickly regretted it when the light shining through his window brought more pain to his head. This is why he didn't drink. Hangovers were a pain in the ass.

"Naruto, open the door!" the voice on the other side of the door demanded.

Naruto instantly groaned at the voice. He knew that voice and it was belonging to the bossy someone who was in charge of making sure he made it to community service. Someone he did not want to see on a hangover morning. So he did the only smart thing possible: buried his head under a pillow and tried to go back to sleep.

"Naruto Uzumaki, open this door _now._"

Naruto growled into his sheets. He knew that tone of voice. That meant 'I'm going to rip you to shreds and feed you to the sharks if you don't satisfy my demands.' Naruto knew that this tone of voice meant business, and slowly climbed out of bed, standing still for a second as he waited for the room to stop spinning. He then drug his feet across the trashy floor of his apartment to the door. He had his hand on the doorknob ready to turn it when the banging came again, the pain in his head so bad his vision began to blur.

"Open the d—"

"I'm right here!" Naruto cried out as he swung open the door and glared at the small figure in front of him. "You're giving me a frickin' headache!" She simply skipped past him, ignoring him, her two buns bouncing along as she went.

"Your place is a mess as usual," Tenten said frowning at the heaps of clothes and empty ramen cups that littered the small apartment floor.

"Sorry I don't have a gagillion maids like you," Naruto spoke with sarcasm as he flopped back down on his bed. He could feel his stomach churning but didn't have the energy to get up and walk to the bathroom. His arms and legs felt like jelly.

"I only have two maids," Tenten spoke with her back turned to Naruto. "You're going to be late for 'work'."

"I'm taking a sick day." Naruto stretched his hand over the edge of the bed and reached for an empty ramen cup.

"No you're not. This is a consequence of going off to get drunk. You get drunk, you get hangover, you still go do your community service," Tenten lectured, really only caring if her plans for the day were about to get screwed over. "Now get up and—" she was cut off by the sound of Naruto vomiting into a cup. "That is disgusting."

"That," Naruto coughed, spitting the last of the bile out of his mouth, "is proof I can't do community service today. I'll be better by the time I have to go to Sanya's."

"You can't skip out on this!" Tenten yelled and Naruto tried to burry himself deeper into his covers. "Its only a hangover. Everyone knows you throw up once and then you're perfectly fine minus a little headache. Besides you vandalized the library and got into that fight, you have to do the time. If you miss they'll add another week to your sentence. And then wait till Jiraiya and Tsunade hear about this. They're going to flip!"

Naruto looked up at Tenten with a flat face. "One, will you please stop yelling, and two, what the hell do you want? Though I don't really want to help you with it because as of yesterday, you're an enemy."

Tenten rolled her eyes at Naruto. This is why the forgiving process was needed.

"I want you to hurry up and get off community service." Tenten lied, though giving Naruto a believable look with her eyes as she sat on the edge of his bed. "I want you to be able to sleep until one and not have to get up on hangover mornings. I want you to be finally be able to do what you want in the mornings." She really wanted him to get the hell to the park so she could put her matchmaking skills into work.

Naruto just looked at her. "Yeah…I'm going back to sleep."

Tenten glared at his curled up spot on the bed. "You leave me no choice; I'm calling Tsunade."

"I'm sure she's hungover too."

Tenten dug her nails into her palms. She had to get him out of bed and down to that stupid park. "I'll bring you lunch if you get up. Ramen."

"Hm."

"And I'll get your apartment cleaned."

"Hmm."

"And your laundry done."

Naruto slowly turned his head to look at Tenten. "I don't know what you're up to, but it's a deal."

"YES!"

"Stop. Yelling."

"Sorry."

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Sakura!"

The second Sakura's eyes opened, responding the loud voice, was the second her hangover truly began. A sea of light slipped through the light pink curtains from the window on her left, burning her eyes and giving her an instant migraine. The sound of the soft footsteps crossing the hardwood floor of her new room, sounded more like an elephant heard and echoed loudly in her head, causing an excruciating pain to bounce around in her head.

"Uggh…" she moaned turning her back to the window and the voice as she curled into and shut her eyes tight.

"Don't 'uggh' me, little missy." The voice chided as somebody tugged at Sakura's covers and she fought to keep herself covered. Where has she seen this situation before?

"_Sakura, get up!"_

_The teen turned in her bed and buried her head deep under her blankets, ignoring the nagging voice that boomed around in her room and intruded her dreams._

"_Fine," the voice huffed. "I'll give you five more minutes and if you're still not up I'm pouring water on you."_

_Feet padded against the carpet as they left the room and Sakura happily drifted back off to dreamland._

_Five minute_s _later the_ _voice returned in a not-so-happy tone. "Still sleepy, huh?" there was a quick yank and Sakura was left with no covers and she curled into a tight ball, trying to warm herself up. The next thing she felt was ice-cold water drenching her body causing her to jerk from her bed, shivering._

"_Mom!"_

"…first day back and you have the nerve to get drunk."

Sakura's grip on her blanket instantly released and she shot up, her body automatically punished her for doing so. Her stomach churned and bile rose in her throat and just when she thought she was going to puke all over the bed a bowl was presented to her, catching her vomit. Cool hands pulled her hair back from her face and pressed against her forehead, checking for a fever. When the brutal coughs finally left Sakura she looked up to meet chocolate hues and a head of long pink hair.

"Mom?" she asked in a hoarse whisper, her eyes widening at the aged women in front of her in disbelief.

"Here," the older lady ordered handing Sakura a bottle of water, "drink."

Sakura quickly complied, twisting the cap off the water and bringing it to her lips to gulp down it's nourishment, her eyes never leaving her mother's tired and worn face. After downing about half the bottle she removed it from her mouth and placed the cap in its rightful place, and then rolled the bottled back and forth between her hands.

The two sat in silence.

Sakura began to fidget under her mother's gaze and frantically sought for a topic to speak on. She hated silences. The only thing it did was let the crackling tension boom loud in her ears. When she finally thought of a neutral topic her mother spoke before she could.

"Ino told me," her mother spoke and Sakura's breathing was caught in her throat. She kept her eyes cast downward, not wanting to look at the expression on her mother's face. "I told you, Sakura. We _told_you."

"I know Mom. I just—"

"Why do you have to be so damn hardheaded?" her mother's voice was strained as she tried to keep her stern tone though tears were starting to build up in her own eyes. "I told you to stay away from him, but you go behind your father and I's back and date him anyways. Then you run off with him and you don't contact us for four months and I get a call from Ino saying h-he _beat _you." Her mother's stern voice finally cracked and involuntary tears slipped down her cheeks.

Sakura lifted her head when her mother stopped speaking and looked over to see her mom fighting to keep a straight face with a trembling lip and tears and her heart instantly dropped to her stomach. "I'm sorry, Mom. I…" Sakura trailed off trying to find the right words to use for her apology. "I—"

"Why?" her mother's voice was shaky and she swallowed to try to get it stable again. "Why didn't you leave earlier or…or report him, or something! Dammit Sakura, if you only listened to me when I told you not to—"

"I'm twenty-four years old, Mom!" Sakura yelled, cutting into her mother, getting a headache at the projection of her own voice. As much as she hated her mother crying she refused to be yelled at. She was no longer a teenager. "You can't control my life forever and…I guess this was just one of those things I had to learn on my own."

Mrs. Haruno faced her daughter with a hard but still sad look. "And are you glad you learned this way?"

"_You may not be able to have any children."_

Sakura shut her eyes on the memory of the doctor's words, not wanting to relive the moment and a tear slipped down her cheek. "No," she answered her mother, "I'm not."

Sakura's mother's face relaxed from its stiff form and softened along with her voice when she spoke. "I don't want to control your life. I just didn't want you to have to go through everything the hard way and I had that…that feeling that Sasuke was no good and I just didn't want you to get hurt, but…" her mother paused and quickly wiped away more tears trying to fall and fought to keep the shakiness out of her voice. "But you ended up getting…beaten and sent to the hospital, and I couldn't even…" the last of her mother's stern façade finally fell and she began to cry at her daughter's bedside.

Sakura stared at her mother who had hidden her face with her hands in shame. Her mother was a stern, strong woman and tried not to expose any of her weaknesses in front of her daughter, but here she sat vulnerable to her weakness and crying. Sakura wrapped her arms around her shaking mother and a few tears of her own slipped pass her lashes. "I'm sorry, Mom. So sorry."

Mrs. Haruno pulled away from her daughter, her tears now ceasing to exist, and have her a light smile, tucking a strand of hair behind Sakura's ear. "Its okay honey. Just…just don't ever let something happen to you again and I have to find out through your friend and not you." Sakura nodded and wiped away her own tears and gave a single sniff. "And…" her mother continued. "Don't ever go back to Sasuke again. Please."

"I promise."

Her mother breathed out in relief finally satisfied that everything was over and she began to relax a bit. "Good. Now Tenten told me right before she left that she wanted to meet you at the park around noon, so you should probably get ready." Mrs. Haruno lifted from her seated position and headed towards the door. "She said one of the drivers would take you so be sure that you're ready." She opened the door and was about to slip out when Sakura stopped her.

"Mom?"

She poked her head back into the room. "Yes, Sakura?"

"I—umm…Thank you, Mom."

"Your welcome."

"I love you," Sakura spoke quietly but her mother still caught it and gave her a small serene smile.

"I love you too, Sakura." And then she slipped out of the door completely.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"…gloves and face mask is something you're going to need and be careful of any Ramen cups by the bed." Tenten spoke into her phone at the maids she hired to clean up Naruto's apartment. "Alright, thank you so much." She snapped her phone shut just in time to see Sakura walking towards her.

Sakura held her jacket closer to her body and wiped at her red nose. Why would Tenten want to go to the park in late fall, and when she knew she had a hangover after all the alcohol she consumed yesterday? Sakura looked at her friend that now stood right in front of her with a questioning look when she spotted a takeout bowl of ramen. "What's going on?"

"I have to drop some food off for a friend," Tenten easily answered. "How was the visit with your mom?"

"It was…good." Sakura finally settled on and the two slowly began to walk through the park. "Thanks for setting it up because I don't think I would have ever had the guts to face her."

"You're welcome." Tenten spotted Naruto working on flowers by the walkway. "And since you liked that push so much, you're going to _love_this one?"

"Wha—" but then Sakura spotted the blonde squatted towards the ground and got her answer. All her breathing stopped and she froze up like the North Pole.

Tenten looked sheepishly at her stiff friend. "I had to bring him lunch."

Slowly Sakura began to move her head back and forth. Her mother was easy; Naruto was the ultimate challenge and she just saw him yesterday and that went to the dogs. What the hell was Tenten thinking, trying to throw her right back in hell?

"No," Sakura finally spoke turning her back to Naruto's squatted form. "I'm not doing it."

_**-0-0-0-0-0-**_

_**Okay allllll done. I had more than half the story written for a month, but I was having trouble on the direction I wanted to go with Sakura's mother. The first idea I had was too weak and I was absolutely unhappy with it so I took a month on thinking and, BOOM! Got an idea when I was watching T.V so here I am updating for you. I was originally going to have Sakura and Naruto talk here, but it was already a good legnth so I'm saving it for the next chapter. Anyways please REVIEW!**_

_**~Kimiko888~**_

_**I have another story idea and want to know what you think:**_

**The Winter Away:** She wanted peace and tranquillity, so she grabbed a winter job at a place that offered it so she can keep away from home. Funny how even working at the library she can't find her peace.

Sakura is living at an out of control house with her cousins now that her mom has been put into rehab. Her aunt isn't much better than her mom and gets drunk... a lot and men come in and out of the house constantly. Her cousins are uncontrallable wild childs and she only begs for a place of peace. So when winter break comes and she doesn't have school to escape to she decides to take a job at the most quiet place she knows. The Library. Sakura isn't the only one looking for a home away from home durning the two weeks of winter break though. Naruto is getting sent to Tsunade's house since his parents are deceased and Jairiya can't take care of him this winter due to the fact he's traveling for work. Tsunade doesn't approve of his bad boy image and forces him to work at the library as well. And at the library where all is supposed to be peaceful and quiet it just happens to get out of control when the two collide.

_**This is an original story that wasn't even sparked from any books I read but slightly based off someone I know. Slightly. If I did decide to do this story though its going to be a long time before I do it b/c seriously, I need to finish some stories before I start anymore new one and a break without having to worry about updating will be really nice. Just tell me what you think, please.**_


	6. Wounds

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**SORRY, SORRY, AND A _TRILLION _TIMES SORRY!!!! I really should kick myself for being such a crappy authoress. I mean, three months later and you guys are just getting an update and it's almost been a year since I published this story and I'm only on chapter six. Pathetic. So go ahead and throw all those items that are near by at me as my punishment, and I'll take it like I should. Just no pointy items that will scar. I already have a long scar on my left cheek. I feel like I delayed this long enough. Longer than I planned so here is the Naru/Saku encounter. I didn't include that one word diss, but that wasn't an encounter. This is the _encounter._ Once again, VERY SORRY, but please try to enjoy. **

**(if there are any mistakes—and there usually are—I was too anxious to update so I didn't bother to skim the chapter. KINDLY notify me and I'll try to fix it.)**

_**Get Out, Get Away**_

**Chapter 6: Wounds**

Sneeze. Sniff. Wipe.

This was the routine Naruto had managed to program into his brain halfway through his community service when he realized he had a cold. Weather it was from walking in the rain yesterday, or the fact that he was being forced to plant flowers in late November as a form of cruel and unusual punishment—weren't they just going to die anyways—he had a cold and he just wanted to got home. He wouldn't be here at all if it weren't for Tenten's promise of a clean apartment and Ramen.

Tenten.

What the hell was she up to now? He knew she wouldn't have pushed him to get out of bed on a hangover morning unless she had some scheme up her sleeve. Over the past few years since Tenten decided to take the big sister role in Naruto's life she has thrown a number of obstacles at him that he would never had done if given the choice—blind dates, spying on Neji, unwanted parties. Wondering what she had planned would do nothing for his nerves.

"Achoo!" Naruto sneezed again before sniffling and running his hand under his nose. "Damn colds," he mumbled to himself before he dropped a bundle of flowers into the hole he made in the ground and began filling it in with soil again. "Nothing good comes of these stupid things."

Naruto patted down the soil before moving over just a bit before beginning his next whole. As he dug, thoughts intruded his mind. Thoughts of Sakura were the main things dancing around, taunting him. Past memories of their friendship—though he had always wanted more—intruded his thoughts. Happy times of them comparing test grades and going to dances together because they didn't want to experience rejection just yet—though Naruto would entertain himself by telling himself she only wanted to be with him. Secrets they only told each other and promises they pinky swore to keep.

These thoughts tainted Naruto's dislike for his former pink haired friend with guilt. Was it fair for him to be angry with her because she followed the man she loved? Should he at least have tried to form some kind of bond with Sasuke? Was he wrong about Sasuke? Should he forgive Sakura, since they were best friends?

Naruto quickly snarled at these thoughts and tried to rid himself from the feeling of guilt. He should be angry with Sakura because she was too stupid and blind the feeling called "love" to see the _real _Sasuke. He didn't want to form a relationship with a bastard. He wasn't wrong about Sasuke because she was back and he wasn't. He shouldn't forgive Sakura he had plenty of friends still and wasn't going to die without her as a friend.

But how many of those friends did he love?

Naruto growled, throwing his shovel down and glaring hard at it. He didn't need these stupid thoughts. He didn't want them. He wanted…he wanted…he wanted his Ramen. The only thing he though about when eating ramen was the taste and how he could get more. Ramen was a safe topic.

"Where the hell is Tenten with my lunch?"

-0-0-0-0-0-

Tenten was watching her master plan backfire with Sakura's retreating back. Every step her friend took was one in the direction of ruining Tenten's match making set up. This wasn't some selfish game of enjoyment she was playing though. She was trying to piece together the pieces of a broken relationship, and Sakura was in the process of ruining it all before they even got started.

Tenten was not about to let that happen.

Taking off after her pink haired friend at full speed, Tenten managed to catch up with her in a matter of seconds, and with a quick twist on the ball of her foot, she stood in front of Sakura, blocking her exit.

"Go back and talk to him," Tenten ordered in her superior voice.

Sakura ignored this and tried to move around Tenten, only to have her path blocked. She tried the other side, but was blocked again and Tenten stopped any further attempts by placing firm hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Go. Talk. To. Him."

Sakura shook her head not wanting to hear any of it. "No."

"Go."

"No."

Tenten let a small growl escape her lips, and her grip on Sakura's shoulders tightened as she grew frustrated.

"Why not?"

"Because…" Sakura trailed off, trying to think of the best excuse. None came. "Because I just can't! Did you see the other day or are you just blind!?"

"Sakura, I want you to answer me truthfully about this." Tenten waited to lock eyes with jade. "Do you want Naruto to hate you?"

"No!" God, what a stupid questions that was. "Of course not, but…" Sakura snuck a peek at the blue eyed blonde, who was still working, oblivious to the both of them. "I feel that I deserve his hate."

"Sakura, Naruto doesn't hate you," Tenten assured her fried with a light pat on the shoulder.

Sakura raised her brow, not persuaded. "And yesterday was…"

"Yesterday, he was just angry."

"There's a difference?"

Tenten waved this little comment off like a bad smell. "The point is you need to talk to him. What's going to happen if you just leave it alone? The hate and distance between you two will only grow. It's just going to keep getting worse like a… a…" Tenten snapped her fingers, trying to remember the simile that was at the tip of her tongue. Bingo. "A wound! Yes. If you don't tend to a wound it's just going to get worse and worse."

Sakura looked again at Naruto's back turned to her, staring at it with a deep want. She wanted Naruto, the bright, loud, twinkling eye, Naruto that was her best friend back. She wanted it with all her heart.

_Bitch._

That one tiny word filled with so much hate and disgust. His eyes burning holes in her skin. This would never work out.

"He hates me," Sakura mumbled, her gaze now fixed at her shoes. "I know he hates me and he's just going to blow up again."

"So come back again and again until he finally thaws a bit," Tenten quickly countered. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

"It'll get annoying after a while and he'll just hate me more."

Tenten sighed, frustrated with her friend's multiple excuses. "You guys left things horrible four months ago, right?" She took the silence as a yes. "So here you are, back, and staring your second chance right in the face." Her eyes softened up a bit. "Why won't you take it?"

A second chance. That's what she had wanted right? She wanted a second chance with her best friend, her family, her own _life_. All these months she'd bee a coward, trying to run away from her past instead of fixing it. Now that she let all that time pass, time spent getting thrown to the floor and slapped in the face, the damage would take even more time to fix. Here was her chance. She just had to grab a hold of it.

She was tired of cowering in the corner.

"What do I say?"

Tenten smiled; glad her "little push" wouldn't have to become literal, because she had been prepared to throw the girl at Naruto.

"First," she lifted the bag that secured Naruto's ramen. "You bring a peace offering."

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Achoo!"

Naruto was in the process of sniffing, about to wipe, when a certain fragrance passed by his semi-clogged nostrils and he stopped his routine. He set down hi tiny shovel and lifted his nose in the air, taking a few more whiffs. He closed his eyes and a small smile lifted the corner of his lips. Ah… he knew that smell anywhere.

Ramen.

He heard the slow, somewhat hesitant, steps coming his way, but he kept his eyes shut, wanted to concentrated on drowning himself in the intoxicating scent. Oh, his mouth was already watering!

The steps stopped about a foot away from Naruto's crouching form.

"Ah, Tenten!" He cried out, his voice light and cheerful. "About time, I was starving!"

He stood, dusted off his jeans, and then turned around to greet his savior from his empty stomach. The smile that had brightened his face, dropped when he saw pink hair instead of two bouncy buns. So this is what Tenten had been planning.

If Tenten hadn't barged in on a hangover morning he probably could have put together Sakura's appearance with Tenten, Tenten's persistence, and Tent's love of playing matchmaker together, he could have come up with this conclusion: Sakura showing up at the park during his community service. This wasn't just a coincidence.

He glared down at the girl. When he spoke, his voice was harsh. "What?"

Sakura's heart shattered. When she saw him turn around, eyes twinkling and smile so bright, she almost fainted. He looked happy. Now, when he saw her, the abrupt right turn his countenance made was frightening. Maybe Tenten was wrong. Maybe he really did hate her.

_"Don't come crawling back, crying to me when it all goes wrong."_

He _should _hate her.

"Well, answer the damn question!"

Sakura jumped at Naruto's loud, angry voice that was threatening to bust an ear drum. "I, um… T-Tenten couldn't get her and s-since I, um, I-I was the only one h-home, I said I'd bring your…um…your lunch," Sakura stuttered under her former friend's penetrating glare, hr eyes taking a sudden interest in the ground beneath her.

"Hn," Naruto looked at the bag that was clutched in Sakura's hand with a death grip. "So are you going to give it to me, or what?"

Sakura jumped again at the harsh tone in his voice. "Oh! Right. Y-your ramen." She held the bag out to him, and couldn't help flinching when she snatched it from her hands.

Naruto dropped to the ground, pulling out the thermos that held his hot noodles. He grabbed the chopsticks out the bag and quickly unscrewed the top and began shoveling food into his mouth.

Sakura was still standing where she had earlier, looking down on the blonde awkwardly as he broke the chopsticks. Still, as he began shoving food down his throat, she couldn't help the small smile that began to appear on her lips. _Some things never change._

"_Naruto, stop eating so fast!" A teenage Sakura demanded as her best friend reached for her fourth bowl. She hadn't even eaten half of her first bowl of ramen. "You're going to choke."_

"_Ah, you worry too much Sakura-chan." The bright blue eyed boy smiled a toothy grin at the girl on his left. "Nothing's going to happen t—" The boy stopped talking suddenly, his eyes wide for a second, before he began trying to couch up the noodles that had gone down the wrong pipe._

"_Naruto?" Sakura began to worry as her friend began coughing desperately, fist pounding his chest, eyes watering up. "Naruto?" she asked again, panic rising in her voice. She began slapping the boy's back. "Naruto!"_

_Finally a half chewed wad of noodles shot out of Naruto's mouth, landing on the counter with a sickening slap._

"_Eww," Sakura said, scrunching up her nose. "I _told_ you, Naruto, but you just had to be the big fat greedy pig that you are."_

_Naruto laughed. "Ah, Sakura-chan, you know me so well."_

Sakura closed her eyes on the memory, hoping to keep the tears at bay. They'd never be like that again, would they?

Usually the only thing on Naruto's mind when he had a bowl of ramen was the taste and how to get more, as said so before. It was hard to have those being the only thoughts when Sakura was still standing _right there. _It was hard to keep thoughts from earlier from arising, so he finally decided he had, had enough.

"You did your errand, why are you still here?"

Sakura's eyes snapped open and her heart jumped, startled by the sudden presence of Naruto's deep voice.

"Oh…um, I was j-just—"

"Can you say anything without stuttering?"

Maybe if his tone wasn't so angry and impatient, Sakura could close her eyes again and try to make up a time those exact words could be used as a joke. Yet, looking down into the narrowed eyes of the blond, all possibilities were eliminated.

She wanted to run and cower away from his pissed off glare, but she held firm. Running didn't fix anything unless you were running for a goal. She was done running away. She dug her heels in the ground and made a full 180, running in the opposite direction.

"I… well, yesterday… well we didn't leave—or start—anything very well so… I w—"

"Because we always have perfect goodbyes," Naruto snorted, shoveling more Ramen in.

Sakura flinched at the memory that was beginning to resurface. "I know…" she looked at her feet. "I just wanted to—"

"Start over?" Naruto cut in again. "Will you please explain to me, why the hell we should just wipe the slate clean?"

"Not clean, just…" Sakura trailed off, trying to find the right words. "I don't… I don't want to ruin everything between us."

"Didn't seem that way a few months ago."

Sakura bit her lip. What could she possibly say that wouldn't screw her over even more? "I'm sorry…"

Naruto looked up at Sakura. All hate aside for a second, he was noticing something; the changes in her and not just physical. The Sakura four months ago was filled with life, passion. Her words were always filled with confidence, eyes sparked with determination, anger hard to tame, and she never stuttered. Here, though, stood a girl who was quiet, stuttering, insecure, and fragile. Weak.

_What happened?_

He refused to voice this question though, for it would show he was worried. He didn't want to, refused to, admit it to himself, so why give verbal hints?

"Sorry about what?" Naruto snapped, and he couldn't stop himself from noticing her flinch. The Sakura he knew didn't flinch.

"Everything." Her voice was quiet, unsure. It sounded foreign in his ears. "I'm sorry—"

"Don't apologize unless you know the full affect of you actions, because right now, it's just a bunch of bull shit," Naruto seethed, his voice was deep, laced with a thick layer of anger.

Sakura closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her nose. She didn't want to cry. Not in front of him, especially when she was the one responsible for all his pain. It would only make it worse if she sat and cried in front of him.

She nodded her head. "I kno—"

"No, you don't know," Naruto snapped, standing so he could glare down upon the pinkette. "You have no _idea _what I felt and still feel." Sakura kept quiet, eyes still shut trying to prevent tears, as her head hung. "I'm just the doormat you step on, on your way out, but now you want to get back together!?" His voice roared in her ears, anger obvious.

"I-I didn't come back here just to be your friend again. I-I mean, I really do, b—"

Friends. She didn't even think of…

Naruto cut her off, digging in his pocket and pulling out a quarter. He dangled it in front of her face, a sneer marring his features. "Here's a quarter," he flicked it in her direction. "Tell it to someone who cares!" He barked in the girls face before leaning in close, so she could feel his breath on her nose. "Time doesn't heal all wounds." He then turned abruptly on his heel, stalking off in the other direction.

Tears fell from Sakura's eyes, but she waited until she could barely see Naruto's retreating back before falling to the ground to cry her heart out with loud sobs. Her body shook uncontrollably and her heart pounded at a dangerously fast rate.

He was still angry, as Tenten like to put it, though Sakura was leaning more and more to hatred. His voice, raw with so much anger, still echoed around her head. The ferocity and harshness of his speech was a stinging slap that still throbbed red on Sakura's cheek.

Still she'd have to experience a hundred more slaps to the face before even a ghost of smile graced Naruto's features when she was in his presence.

Sakura pulled her legs into her chest and wrapped her arms around them, rocking herself for some form of comfort, as weak as it may be.

_If at first you don't succeed, try, try again._

_**-0-0-0-0-0-**_

_**Ah…finally I am done! I don't know how, but I was finally hit with a brick load of inspiration and sat down and wrote this entire chapter. This would have been up earlier if my little sister wasn't hogging the computer, but we all know how little sisters are. A big fat pain who live to just drive you mad! Anyways, I think I would have wanted more… friction between the two, but this was what I got in my inspiration period. This chapter did somehow help me get more idea's for future chapters, so that's good. I have the next chapter planned, but I can't promise I'll update soon. After all I had the beginning of this chapter planned, but look at where we are now. Three months later. Okay, so please REVIEW!!!! If you believe in magic, hit the really cool MAGIC GREEN BUTTON. PLEASE!!!!!**_

_**~Kimiko888~**_


	7. Therapy

**Okay, well I had an idea for how I wanted this story to keep on going and it seemed really good so I'm updating. The idea came to me after I read Sarah Dessen's Dreamland and for what I had as an idea, it seems good. Also since this was the first idea that came to my mind I get to update earlier. Lucky you! Take it as an apology for the other times I took MONTHS to update. Anyways, please enjoy chapter 7 of Get Out, Get Away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

_**Get Out, Get Away**_

**Chapter 7: Therapy**

She was going to try again, she really was, but first she decided she needed to recover.

_Time doesn't heal all wounds._

Right, she knew that, but hopping out of bed to go down to the park just to get yelled at again, didn't sound logical or even possible to Sakura at the moment.

The second she had gotten back from the park that day, she locked herself in her room, trying not to let herself cry. She failed. The next day Tenten had managed to coax the girl out of her room for meals, but that was it. For the past three days Sakura refused to leave the walls of her room, unless to eat.

Except for today of course.

Her mom had invited her over for dinner. At the time Sakura had half a mind to refuse, but once she was pointed out that she still had yet to see her father, she was guilted into going. Now she sat in her usual seat, listening to the silverware scrape the fine china as her family ate in silence.

Sakura would look up every now and then to see her parents exchanging a look, tilting their headS or motioning their eyes in their daughter's direction, just like they always did when they had something to confess to Sakura. The same thing happened when they told her Grandma died, Dad lost his job, Mom _might _be pregnant, and worst of all… the _talk._

She could only imagine what "good" news she was in for.

"Sakura…" Her mother's voice was cautious, just like it always was in these situations. "We have to tell you something."

Sakura lowered hEr fork and wiped at the corners of her mouth before raising her head to lock eyes with her mother who sat across from her. "Yes…"

"Well… your father and I were thinking and talking this over and…" Her mother paused, casting a look of uncertainty to her husband, who urged her to continue. "And we think you should take… therapy."

Everything stopped, even the scraping of silverware, and time stood still. Sakura stared blankly at her mother, not believing what she had just suggested. Therapy? _THERAPY!?_ Therapy, in Sakura's mind, was for crazy people, mentally unstable, paranoid. She wasn't any of those things, she was just… abused.

Was it really that bad?

"Mom, I—"

"Now, don't freak out Sakura, but therapy is—"

"I'm not going to therapy." Sakura bluntly stated, her eyes narrowed at her parents as she looked between them, making her decision clear. "No."

Therapy included, therapist. Therapists were the devils who dressed up like a kind person who really just pried and pried and pried, trying to get into your heads. They wanted every little detail of every horrible event that has ever happened to you. The wanted the nitty gritty on everything you tried to forget. They wouldn't be helping her. No, they would just be inducing her with more pain. She didn't _want _them in her head. She didn't want anyone in her head.

"Sakura," her mother tried again, her voice noticeably softer, trying to get her daughter to see things her way. "I know it doesn't sound like a good thing, but—"

"No, it doesn't sound like a _good _thing."

Her mother inhaled deeply, trying to keep calm. If she didn't know how sensitive this subject was, she would have already blown her top."I was watching a talk show, and therapy really helped—"

"God, Mom! Everything isn't out of a talk show! Those are different people, _not _me. Therapy isn't going to help."

One thing that hadn't changed in her mother over the pass four months was the lady's obsession with talk shows. She loved seeing how people from the low of the low, in the dirtiest of rags, in the worst situations, overcame and stood tall in the end. Call it an optimistic way of thinking, but Sakura saw it as insanity, an unhealthy obsession.

"I know, it sounds crazy, and the way all those movies make it seem, it's the worst thing on the planet, but Sakura," Mrs. Haruno locked eyes with her daughter. "You have to go through the past, so you can get rid of it. Keeping it all bottled up inside… it's not doing anything good for you."

Sakura shook her head. She could feel the burning of tears in the back of her eyes. "No. I don't want to go." Relive everything she went through in the past four months? And knowing how therapists work, they'd want to do a deep cleansing and will probably want to go back even further to where Naruto was involved. She shook her head. "No."

"Sakura… please. If you keep living with what happened to you… you'll just make it harder on yourself. You need to go so you can learn to let it go." Her mother reached her hand out to grab a hold of Sakura's clenched one. "Please."

Sakura continued to shake her head. "No. No, no, no."

"Sakura, you—"

"No, Mom!" Sakura snatched her hand back from the warmth of her mother's and glared at her parents. "They're just going to try to get into my head! I don't want to go!" she looked back and forth between her parents with desperation for them to see things her way. "Is it really that bad? He only… I mean he just… I don't want to go through it again in my memories."

Sakura's father who had been sitting through the argument with a stony face glared harder at his daughter's tears. That… that _bastard_ had caused so much harm to his daughter, one of the two girls he had sworn to protect with his life. Now, she couldn't even go to therapy because he had messed her up so bad. He clenched his hands into tight fists. He was going to kill that worthless piece of flesh the second he laid eyes on him. He had nearly killed his daughter, why not repay the favor?

"Sakura," The two women snapped their heads in the direction of the deep voice that came from the head of the table. "I know you don't want to do this, but you have got to let this out of you and it's not like you can talk to a friend or somebody you know about this." His eyes softened as he looked at Sakura's tear stained face. "It's easier to talk to a stranger sometimes. Please, Sakura, we just want you to get better."

She wasn't sick, or mentally ill. Didn't they see that? She wasn't foaming from the mouth or looking over her shoulder every five seconds. She was just… abused. She didn't want to relive the worst times of her life when Sasuke's eyes rolled back and his snarl grew loud. She didn't want someone prying around in her head, for they might discover some of her deep secrets. Secrets are meant to be kept.

She looked at her mother's pleading face and her father's pained expression. She had hurt them so much already, and her will to say no suddenly vanished.

"It's only three times a week, honey."

Sakura looked down at her plate, not wanting to meet the gazes of her parents.

"Okay."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Sakura sat in the room in the cushioned seat across from her newly appointed therapist, Daisuke. He was a man who was around his mid-thirties, but the gray was already beginning to show. He sat with his notepad open, waiting for the pink haired girl in front of him to speak.

Sakura listened to the slow ticking of the clock, willing it to go faster. She tugged on the edges of her long shirt sleeves, making sure to cover the bruise that wrapped around her wrist. She fidgeted in the seat as she waited impatiently for the clock to read one o'clock, granting her permission to leave this hell hole.

One of the drivers had dropped her off at the location her mother had given her, and for the past hour she'd been sitting in her seat, silent. She agreed to show up, but she said nothing about speaking. No, she could just sit in complete boredom in entire silence for the next months, or however long she was supposed to sit here.

Finally the clock chimed at one, and Sakura shot up, gathering her bag and shrugging into her coat. She then paused her hasty movement to look at her therapist.

"I'm sorry, to have wasted you time."

Daisuke smiled lightly at his new patient. "Ah, no worries, I'm still getting paid," he laughed a bit and Sakura let a ghost of a smile appear. "But really though, your mother told me about your hesitance to come," he smiled kindly at the girl. "The fact that you came is improvement enough."

Sakura looked at her therapist for a second before nodding slightly and turning to move to the door, her hand on the cool silver of the handle. Before she disappeared through the door though, she turned.

"Thank you."

And then she left.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"So how's therapy going?" Tenten asked Sakura as she shuffled through the racks of the store, searching for a nice shirt in her friend's size. They had finally gone on their shopping trip and Tenten was determined to fit Sakura in with an entirely new wardrobe.

Instead of one of the driver's picking Sakura up from her therapy session, Tenten had showed up behind the wheel of a sleek Mercedes to steal her away for an afternoon filled of shopping. It had been a normal session though. Silent. It was her third and they hadn't gotten further then getting Sakura to sit down in the cushioned seat.

"Oh, you know… the same." Sakura weakly offered, shuffling through the clothes for something warm and long sleeved for the wintry season and to cover all her scars.

"Mmhmm," Tenten nodded, understanding that the two had sat in silence again. She really wanted Sakura to confide in her, but as long as she was seeing _someone _it would be okay. Still, she would actually have to talk the man.

A forest green piece of cloth caught Tenten's eye at the moment and she reached out to grab it, checking the size on the tag. Yep, it was just right for Sakura.

"Here you go!" Tenten announced cheerfully, thrusting the shirt at Sakura. "I just have a feeling it'll fit you perfectly."

Sakura eyed the shirt uneasily. It was short sleeved, tight around the bust and v-necked. It was nice, and she knew it would shape her perfectly, but it would also reveal a lot. And she wasn't talking about her cleavage.

"I don't think—"

"Oh, come on Sakura." Tenten held the shirt out to her closer. "Please, please, _please. _Just try it on then. Pleeeeeaaaaase."

Sakura looked into her friends pleading, puppy dog eyes, and she bent a little. She would just try it on for a second, say it fit wrong, and take it off. She wouldn't even have to show Tenten the shirt.

"Okay… But I'm only trying it on."

Tenten smiled and clapped her hands as Sakura took the shirt and headed for the dressing rooms located in the back of the shop. "It's going to look great on you."

Tenten had lied.

The shirt looked horrible, sick, disgusting. The shape of it, no, but the places where there was lacking cloth was all wrong. Bruises that were in the process in healing were a sick color of yellow. Some bruises were still a fresh shade of blue black and scars that weren't disappearing anytime soon curved above her chest. It was sick looking. A disgrace.

Tears burned the back of Sakura eyes as memories filled her brain. Snarls of anger, lengthened and sharpened nails, bared teeth, darkened eyes, the pulsing of that damned mark.

Sakura shuddered, her entire body feeling the scary chill and she quickly removed the shirt, pulling on the shirt that was more her style. Long sleeved and not low cut. Nothing showed.

She pulled the door to the dressing room open to see Tenten waiting on the bench outside and her brunette friend brightened.

"So, how did it fit?"

"It was, um, it was a bit clingy actually," Sakura mumbled moving back to the front of the store, dumping the shirt on top of a shelf of t-shirts as she kept moving.

"Hm, well I 'm sure they have it in another side," Tenten stated following her through the store. "I can just ask—"

"Actually, I'm kind of beat," Sakura broke in, stopping in front of her Tenten. "Can we just go home?"

Tenten looked at her friend and for the first time realized the mistiness in her eyes. She slowly nodded as Sakura snapped her vision away. "Okay… Let me just pay for the stuff we got already."

After paying for the four pair of jeans and seven t-shirts with long sleeves and a few with sayings they had bought for Sakura, the two friends made their way out of the store and out into the car.

"So, since Neji has to work late _again," _Tenten growled, obviously not happy with her husband's busy schedule. "How 'bout a movie night. I mean, I know we're, like, twenty something, but who says we can't still have fun."

Sakura laughed lightly at her friend. "Okay. So what movies do you have in mind?"

Tenten started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, into the busy streets. "I was thinking a variety night. Horror, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Action, and of course, Disney. You know, everything."

"So how about…Taken?"

"Oh! That's a good one. And for romance the Notebook."

"A classic," Sakura nodded in approval. "For horror, Halloween."

"Of course, and for Comedy..." The two looked to each other, grins spreading across their faces as they communicated by using their telepathic powers.

"WAYNE'S WORLD!"

The two laughed as Tenten came to a stop at a red light.

"You do realize that we might be the only people in this entire city who still find the absolute stupidity of that movie hilarious?" Sakura asked through her laughter.

"That's what makes us unique." Tenten commented laughing a bit, as she relaxed in her seat. She looked over at her friend who was smiling. God, it was good to see her friend finally smiling. "Alright, and for drama we can do—"

"WATCH IT! I'M WALKING HERE!"

The two girls snapped out of their movie planning to see a tall blonde crossing the street parallel from them, his middle finger up and directed to a driver who was a bit over the line.

Sakura stopped breathing at the sight of Naruto crossing the street. His bright blue eyes reflecting the sun light, blonde hair moving with the wind.

Perfection.

A string pulled at Sakura's heart as she watched Naruto make his way down the street, at a light jog. He was obviously late, and by the looks of what he was wearing, he had to be late for work. She suddenly felt the urge to hop out of the car and follow him.

Tenten looked at her transfixed gaze with worry. Just when she was laughing she had to see Naruto, and that was bound to drop her into one of her 'lock me up in my room' moods again. _Damn Naruto, _Tenten silently cursed her blonde friend.

"Sakura…" Tenten tried uneasily, hoping to grab her friend's attention.

Sakura snapped out of her stupor. "Huh?"

"You, um, you still up for movie night?"

Sakura looked at her friend and then back to Naruto's retreating back. Time wasn't going to heal anything. She needed to grab a hold of her chances every time one appeared. She then looked back at her friend's hopeful face. She couldn't lose anymore friends though. Leaving them behind proved to be a mistake.

"Yeah," she smiled slightly at her friend. "So what were we doing for drama?"

Tenten smiled at her friend, surprised she wasn't going to fall into one of her moods. Maybe just sitting in silence in those sessions was actually doing something.

The light turned green and Tenten pulled forward.

"Well, I was thinking…"

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Good afternoon, Sakura," Daisuke said, smiling as the pinkette entered his office and found her seat in front of his desk. "How are you this afternoon?"

"I want him back."

Daisuke paused, blinking twice, shocked that the girl was actually speaking. He then quickly turned from the page in his notepad where he was drawing his boss dancing with his pants on fire, to a clean sheet. He then cleared his throat before speaking.

"That' a normal feeling after leaving an abusive—"

"No… I want N—" Sakura paused when she realized that even after all the days she spent crying over him, she still had yet to have his name roll off her tongue. "I want Naruto back."

Daisuke's brows furrowed. "Who's Naruto?"

"My best friend."

_**-0-0-0-0-0-**_

_**And I shall leave it there. To be honest I thought I was only going to write about half of this and come back tomorrow and finish it. Well, the sooner the better, so here you have it. An apology for the last long update.I got this done mainly because I had the idea. Next chapter is a bit foggy. I think I'm going to have Tsunade come in and Sakura get a job. Yeah, I think I'll take that idea and run with it. Anyways… please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!**_

_**~Kimiko888~**_


	8. Help Wanted

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**So, it's been a while, but I have finals next week so while I'm studying for Geometry and Science, I'm also working on this huge creative Writing final that is a lot more work than I planned on, so I was working on that all week and for winter break I was out of town so… couldn't really get around to updating. Still, I am very sorry and I think you should all give a thanks to **ginge, **because she/he (I'm not too sure) was the one who urged me to update so here I am. Updating. Please enjoy!!!!!!!**

_**Get Out, Get Away**_

**Chapter 8: Help Wanted**

"I don't know…"

"Oh, don't be so protective Tenten. I'm old enough to make my own decisions. Besides, I want to be able to pay for some of my own stuff and stop relying on you and Neji all the time."

"But you _can. _We have plenty of money for you to just blow and we won't mind at all."

"Tenten." Sakura fixed her friend with a hard look. "You can't keep me locked up in this house forever."

Tenten bit down on her lip and looked down into her soggy bowl of cereal. She knew Sakura was right and the fact that she was _volunteering _to leave the mansion showed a lot of progress. Progress she wasn't willing to risk being ruined by Sakura getting a job. Not a job really, but _this _job made her hesitant. She'd hate to see her best friend finally taking that first step forward only to come back take two steps in the opposite direction.

Sakura watched the conflict flash between her friend's dark hues and waited patiently for her friend to approve. She wanted this job, and not just because _he _would be working there too. If anything that should have scared her out of the job, but therapy was helping a bit. She wanted the job because it was one thing Sasuke had refused her. She wanted to rebel against everything that was Uchiha while she was free to regain her independence.

"Fine," Tenten hesitantly agreed, but continued before Sakura could run out on her. "But, but, _but," _Tenten fixed Sakura with a serious look. "Promise you won't let him get to you, 'kay? I don't want your progress to be ruined."

Sakura opened her mouth to contradict this statement, but shut it again, not able to find something that wouldn't be a lie.

She offered the brunette a small smile.

"I'll try."

~0~

Sakura licked her lips, moistening them, but she still had cotton mouth and the lack of moisture was choking her, making her throat itch. This idea seemed so much better in her head when she was planning it, but now she felt stupid. Did she honest think working with him was going to help? When planning this, she had hoped, but now, it seemed her senses were finally catching up with her.

What if Tenten was wrong and Naruto only got angrier at her persistence. That would only make the "wound" grow. What if he just lashed out again or completely boycotted her presence? Would she even be able to take it?

This idea was stupid. Sakura stared at the handle to Sanya's. What was she thinking? This, this idea stupid plan was stupid. It wasn't… logical.

Then again, not many things seemed to be logical in her life for the past four months.

Sakura pulled down the 'Help Wanted' sign and wrapped her hand around the handle, not pausing to think it over before pulling it open. She stepped into the restaurant, the heat warming her numb fingers.

He walked up to the hostess stand where a girl with her onyx hair pulled back into a ponytail and her lip and eyebrow pierced along with the multiple earrings embedded in her ears, stood. She arched her pierced brow in question at Sakura's stiff form, slowly blowing a pink bubble.

Sakura blushed. "I, um, I… wanted to apply for the job offer." He held up the sign. "So… I um, I was wondering where exactly I should—"

The girl's bubble popped, startling Sakura, and her sapphire eyes slowly trailed over Sakura, giving her the once over as she smacked her gum. Finally she locked her eyes with jade and motioned her head towards the back.

"You'll have to talk to Sanya. She's working the bar today."

"Oh, um, thanks."

"Whatever." The girl rolled her eyes looking back down at the table layout, tapping her fingers against the wooden stand to a beat nobody else but her could hear.

As Sakura neared the bar, the old lady with her silver hair pulled back into a tight braid, looked up from the particularly stubborn spot she was scrubbing at and saw the pinkette making her way to the bar. When a sheepish grin and a shy wave were offered to the elder, she smiled, defining her wrinkles and forming crows' feet in the corner of her eyes.

"Sakura!"

The elder had already abandoned her frustrating cleaning task and was working her way from behind the bar, ignoring the protests from waiting customers. She shuffled over towards the pinkette, arms outstretched for a warm hug.

"I haven't seen you in forever!" Sanya wrapped her arms around the young girl and then pulled back to examine Sakura's flushed face at arm's length. "Oh, this is such a surprise."

"I… I was here the other night with Neji and Tenten, but…" Sakura trailed off, not really want to speak on that particular subject. "So, um, I was actually here to see if the job offer was still open."

"Not anymore," Sanya laughed at the girl's defeated look. "It now belongs to the lovely girl who stands in front of me." Sakura offered a sheepish grin as Sanya gave her a slow once over like the hostess. "Though, I must say your style is… _different."_

Sakura tensed and blushed, pulling at the edges of her already stretched out sleeves, unnecessarily trying to cover the bruise that wrapped about her wrist in a sickly yellow color. She shifted her weight nervously to her other foot, suddenly paranoid that somehow Sanya knew why she was back.

"Oh, well, it's… cold."

"Yes, yes," Sanya nodded her head as she headed pass the bar, motioning Sakura to follow. "These Autumn months are getting colder and colder by the second. The next ice age is on its way, I swear upon it." She looked back to Sakura and Sakura offered a small smile.

"Well, we do uniforms here but since it's your first day, I can lend you one of our extras until you can get your own."

"W-what?" Sakura stared at the owner with widened jade eyes, and she turned to her with eyebrows raised expectantly.

"Yes?"

"You… you want me to start _today_?"

"Of course, honey. You came in with a 'Help Wanted' sign; that means we're desperate." She gave the girl an amused smile. "You can work the bar through the lunch and dinner shifts since it's your first day, but you'll be working the bar the night shift everyday after this one. Okay?"

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but her throat was too dry and she couldn't think of much to say. She hadn't expected to be working _today. _In fact, she was banking on her little break to help her get used to the idea of working with Naruto. So much for that plan.

"Sakura?"

"Oh," Sakura snapped out of her daze and nodded her head. "Yeah, um, that's… that's fine."

Sanya smiled at her new worker and pushed her into the employees' bathroom so they could get her changed.

"It's so good to see you again, Sakura."

Sakura offered a small smile.

"Thank you."

~0~

"Tsunade, have you looked over the latest papers? And the found a hole in Mr. Fujimoto's intestines so they're considering on surgery, but are waiting for your confirmation. I also think…"

Tsunade stared out the window of her office, watching as the leaves of fall's colors fell to the ground and got whipped up by the wind, leaving the trees a little barer. Her mind was far from Shizune's words and much more concerned with what Jaraiya had told her almost two weeks ago.

Sakura was back.

And with that knowledge, came a million questions that plagued her from getting any work done. She wanted to know where in the hell that little girl went, why she went with that bastard, and why she was back. And why the hell has she still not seen her after _two weeks?_

"…we're running low on—"

"I'm taking my lunch break," Tsunade declared, turning her chair around to face Shizune. "I'll be back… whenever I get back."

Shizune gaped at her boss as she watched her stand from her chair, grabbing her jacket. Did she not just hear a word that came out of her mouth? The hospital was _way _too busy for Tsunade to just up and leave.

"You just took your break an _hour _ago."

"It was a business arrangement," Tsunade lied, caring more about where she had put her keys. They were right…

"But there is _a lot _to be done here," Shizune continued to protest. "You're supposed to be the _boss. _You can't just—"

Tsunade let out a frustrated sigh to both her fleeting memory of where she put her keys and Shizune's constant nagging.

"Alright then, as your boss I order you to take care of all those problems." She gave her assistant a mocking smile. "I trust your judgment."

"But, that's _your _job. I can't just—"

"And if you can help me find my keys that would be just great."

Shizune growled, and fixed her boss with a firm look as her hands formed tight fists of frustration at her boss completely blowing off work. _Again._

"You _cannot _just—"

"No need to find my keys," Tsunade looked over her shoulder and smiled, twirling the key ring around her finger. "Found them."

"With all due respect, Tsunade, you can't just keep leaving whenever you want. This place is _your _responsibility and you can't keep dropping work on me just so you can—"

"Ja ne!" Tsunade called over her shoulder as she breezed out the door, leaving her assistant with a heap load of work.

Shizune gaped at the retreating back of her boss and blinked twice. She looked over at the desk littered with papers that she would now have to take care of. She fisted her hands, so her blunt nails formed crescent moons in her palms and slammed them down on the unorganized wooden desk.

"Ahhhhh!"

~0~

"Pull your hair back tighter."

"Yes ma'am."

"That cup is _not _clean."

"Gomen."

"_Smile."_

"Hai."

Sakura watched the retreating back of Sanya as she disappeared into her office before she finally trusted herself to let out a sigh of relief. Working for Sanya and being one of her usuals were two totally different things. Now Sakura was exposed to the strict and specific Sanya opposed to the kind, grandmotherly lady that usually served her.

"Hey! I'd like my drink now!"

Sakura jumped at the demanding and impatient voice of the man and shot him an apologetic smile and he glared at her, and she scurried to get his drink. She placed the beer bottle down in front of him and he snatched it, slapping the money down and hopping off the stool, stalking towards the exit.

"Service these days suck," he muttered as Sakura watched him leave and her face flushed. If she kept this up she'd get fired before her first day was up.

Sakura looked at the clock. Half past three. She quickly scanned the waiters that were servicing customers but a head of blonde locks still wasn't visible. That was good. Maybe he didn't work today. She wasn't exactly sure she could handle the stress of working the bar _and _Naruto.

"Well look how far the mighty have fallen."

Sakura whipped her head around and gasped at the blonde who was perched on a bar stool, chin resting atop her laced fingers.

Tsunade.

"I thought you'd become a doctor like you always planned, but now I sit here to witness you have given that up to work at a bar." Her mentor shook her head. "That's a long ways off from a doctor."

"I…" Sakura failed to come up with the right words as she gaped at her old mentor. "I, um, can I get you a drink?"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed at the pinkette as she studied her figure. Too thin. Her skin was a lot paler, concluding she hasn't seen a lot of the sun. Too quiet. Far too bashful. She looked at the girls bow head, as she waited for her to state her drink. This girl… she was different.

She was playing with luck when she chose Sanya's to start her search and it seems for the first time in her life she had won. But it wasn't Sakura she had found. It was an alter ego of the passionate girl that once learned under her that stood here, serving her.

"A beer on tap," Tsunade finally ordered, shifting her wait to get more comfortable and dropping her hands to the table.

"Okay," Sakura turned around to hide her frantic face. Her heartbeat was out of control and the palms of her shaky hands were sweaty and she struggled to keep the glass steady as she got Tsunade's drink.

She wasn't expecting this, but here it was. Her mentor sitting at the bar, being served by her and reminding her again of what she had given up. Since she was in elementary school she had planned to be a doctor and while she was here she had worked for that goal. Then she left with Sasuke, planning to continue at a nearby medical school that had accepted her, but…

Sakura bit down into her lip to keep the tears of frustration back. Another dream washed down the drain

Tsunade studied the tense muscles in her former disciple's back with observant eyes. She was trying to silently figure out just what exactly changed the girl's personality so much.

"So… how's Sasuke?"

Sakura sucked in a breath of air at the sudden question. "He's uh… he's good."

Tsunade didn't miss the panic in the girl's voice and pressed harder. "So, are y'all moving back here considering you've gotten yourself a job?"

Sakura shook her head and chewed on her bottom lip. The glass was full, but she waited until she was confident that her façade of normalcy was up before she turned around.

"So you got a job because…"

Sakura let out a breath and turned around to face the older blonde. "_I _moved back here, but Sasuke, he's… he's not coming." The mention of his vile name rolling off her tongue, made her hand shake again and she struggled to keep the glass steady as she set it down in front of Tsunade.

Tsunade studied the shaking hand around her glass carefully and caught a yellow color of skin under the rising cuff of the girl's white dress shirt. Sakura caught where her gaze was locked and quickly snatched her hand back, pulling at the sleeve.

"So you guys aren't together anymore?"

"Nope." Sakura's voice was an octave too high and she swallowed, trying to calm herself, but the dryness of her throat had reappeared.

"Really?" Tsunade let her eyes trail down the girls frame that screamed panic. "So what happened?" She didn't miss Sakura's flinch at the question.

"We… um, it just wasn't working," Sakura answered, her eyes averted downwards as she reached for the cleaning rag for something to do.

"I see."

The two were quiet for a while as Sakura scrubbed at an invisible stain and Tsunade watched her with careful eyes, not drinking her beer. The girl who she had declared to have so much potential she could be the next medical star, was here. Working at a bar. Tsunade sighed. _Such a waste of a brilliant mind._

"You obviously didn't go to medical school"—Sakura flinched—"But if you still want to work in the medical field, I can offer you a job filing papers and such at the hospital."

Sakura froze and stared at the woman wide eyed. "R-really?"

"Mmhmm," Tsunade nodded her head.

Sakura was at a loss of words. And caught in indecision. She just got this job and this was her in to at least _try _to make things right with Naruto. She couldn't just leave it especially when it was only her first day. But… that was her dream being offered. Not really her dream, but a small form of it. Could she really just let it slip through her fingers?

"I…"

"No worries," Tsunade spoke up, downing her entire beer in the short silence as Sakura gaped. Some things won't change. "The offer is always available."

Sakura stared wide eyed and she could feel a smile working its way on to her face. "I-I… thank you. Really. I can't start immediately, but…"

Tsunade felt a pull at the corner of her mouth as she watched the excitement and hope dance around in jade irises and she saw a ghost of the girl she once knew. She got off her stool and shrugged into her coat. She placed the money down on the bar and turned to leave, but paused to turn back to the pinkette who seemed to have life finally breathed into her.

"My door is always open."

Sakura eyes shined and she nodded, afraid her voice was too choked up to form coherent words.

~0~

She only had half the night shift left before she got to go home. Her feet were tired, her eyelids heavy, and her nerves were shot with the constant yelling from both grumpy customers and Sanya. Her shoulders were sagging and she never in her life wanted a firm soft bed as much as she did now.

Naruto still hadn't showed up and Sakura was more than happy with the thought that he didn't work today. She really just wanted to go home without anymore confrontations. Meeting with Tsunade wasn't so bad and it was beneficial, but it was still terrifying. The way she looked at her wrist and the questions about Sasuke made her nervous. She didn't want to handle more than that at the moment.

"Hey lady! I'm waiting here!"

Sakura gasped at the sudden demanding voice, and the glass she had been drying fell from her hands and shattered against the ground. Sakura looked down at the glass shards and cursed, groaning in frustration.

This was perfect.

~0~

Naruto walked in the restaurant for his night shift after he asked for a change due to his community service hours. The first thing that reached his ears when he walked in was the sound of shattering glass and a definite curse followed by a frustrated groan.

He smirked. Nothing like fresh meat to brighten his day. He could use a lackey around here.

Naruto walked up to Kame, who was nodding her head to an invisible beat still, and tapped his fist against her stand. She raised her pierced brow in question.

"We have a new employee?"

She smiled slowly. "I could tell you, but it's going to have to cost you." Her eyes trailed over him appreciatively, her purple nails, walking up his arm. "Maybe a drink or two after work?"

Naruto forced a smile and shrugged the girl's hand off. He was used Kame's flirtatious ways, but it didn't mean he honestly enjoyed them. Kame was good company, but not good in _that _way. She was also only 18, working her way through college here.

"Do we or do we not?"

Kame sighed dramatically. "One day, Uzumaki, you are going to give in."

"I doubt it."

Kame pressed her lips together to suppress whatever it was she was tempted to say.

"She came in this afternoon, but Sanya made her work lunch and dinner shifts because of the high demand, but she'd permanently be working night shifts after today. She's working the bar."

Naruto lifted a brow. "She?"

"You interested in a girl you've never met?"

"He shouldn't be," Sai intercepted the question before the blonde could answer as he walked up to join the conversation. "She's god forsakenly hideous."

"Considering you taste in women, she's pretty damn hot."

"She's pretty," Kame put in, feeling oddly jealous. "Her hair dye is amazing."

"Hmm…" Naruto thought this over in his head. If he could work his charm he could get this girl to do a few of his tasks, making life a little bit easier on him. "I'm going to win myself a free beer."

"Drinking on the job?"

"It helps mellow me," he joked as he headed toward the bar, but he turned so he could speak to his coworkers. "Besides, I could use a little entertainment around here."

Kame rolled her eyes at the blonde's smirk and turned her attention to the entering couple.

Naruto bounded off towards the bar, a hop in his step. It was always nice to see a new face around here and not just because he had the right to boss them around for being a senior. It got dull around here at times and a new face might brighten it up again.

"… going to get fired on the first day, and this would all be a waste, and…"

Naruto smiled at the mumbling coming from behind the bar and he hopped over it, ready to help the distraught girl who knelt on the ground, picking up glass shards.

"I'm sorry, but can I—"

"Ahh!" Sakura screamed at the voice that had suddenly appeared behind her and whipped her head around for jade to clash with sky blue, and all at once, her heart stopped beating, her mouth went dry, and her body shut down on her, causing her to be immobile.

Naruto stared at the pinkette, all amusing thoughts of having a new coworker were flushed down the toilet as he stared at Sakura in front of him.

The whole world seemed to stop for a second.

"Hey! I'm still waiting on god damn beer!"

Sakura shot up from the floor, leaving Naruto crouching in shock and she filled a cup with trembling hands and gave it to the impatient man.

"I-I'm sorry, I was—"

"Get some better service, damnit!"

"I—I'm…" Sakura trailed off in defeat as the man slapped his money down and stormed out of the restaurant and her shoulders slumped. She's been getting that reaction far too often lately.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" A voice hissed from behind her and Sakura went tense, remembering the blonde that was standing behind the bar with her.

"I… I, um,"

"Again with the fucking stuttering," Naruto sneered, his eyes narrowing. "Why the hell do you find the need to ruin my life every chance you get?"

Sakura gulped and fought to find the right words. "I… I just needed a job and there was a help wanted sign here so I—"

"There are help wanted signs _everywhere,_" Sakura bit her lip at the intensity in his voice. "Why do you want to torture me? Why?"

"I just… I'm s—"

"You're _not sorry!_ If you were honestly sorry, you would leave me the hell alone!" Naruto bit down onto his lip so hard he was sure he was going to draw blood. "Just leave me alone."

Sakura stared up into Naruto's hateful glare and she wanted to run, coward. She wanted to leave him alone if it meant she could avoid all this… hate and the breaking of the heart. But, she promised herself to stop running. She knew this was coming, she knew and it was only the first slap in the face for her.

Sakura looked up into Naruto's blue eyes and the look of determination caught him off guard. He wasn't expecting to see her true personality, even if it was only a bit, after all the stuttering.

Sakura fisted her hands into tight fist as she mustered the little bit of courage she possessed.

"I can't."

_**-0-0-0-0-0-**_

_**And that's the end of the chapter! I hope you liked it and I would be really happy if you hit the 'Review this story/chapter' button. Honestly, I'd be REALLY happy. I want to say I'll update soon, but ha would honestly be a lie and lying isn't a good thing to do. So… REVIEW and I'll try to update a bit earlier. Try.**_

_**~Kimiko888~**_


	9. Bear Claws

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Okay, so here's the deal: I've had ¾ of this chapter up for a really long time, but I could never figure out how I wanted it to end—I'm not too happy with this ending actually—but, I start finals tomorrow and, though I'll have half days, I actually plan on studying, but I didn't want to put this off any longer. So, I threw something together for the ending and I hope you guys don't hate it too much. I know y'all are pissed for the long wait, but please understand the term, WRITER'S BLOCK. Summer vacation starts in 4 days though so… maybe, if I haven't lost creative inspiration, I'll update more often. No promises though.**

_**Get Out, Get Away**_

Chapter 9: Bear Claws

"What took you so long?" Yuuki demanded to know the second her roommate stepped foot into the room. "You got off work, like, _hours _ago. What if—"

"Relax," Kame cut her roommate and best friend off as she dropped her stack of books on the couch. "I went to the library to study because if I came here I'd get way too distracted. I have this huge test tomorrow that will basically decide my grade for this term."

"You worry too much about grades," Yuuki spoke as she carefully moved the pair of scissors in her hand across the edge of her red hair, trying to even out her split ends. "Ichiro called. There's a new band playing at The Spot and he _highly _recommends our appearance." She moved the scissors away from hair. "So are we going or are we going?"

"So we're going?"

"_Duh." _Yuuki hopped of the couch, headed for the room they shared and Kame followed. "Ichiro definitely likes you."

"Well I don't like him." Kei flopped back on her own twin sized bed. "He's not my type."

"And tall, juvenile blondes are?" Yuuki raised a brow at her friend knowingly before going to fish through their closet. "Must I remind you again that he's six years older than you?"

"I'm eighteen. It's legal."

"It's creepy. It's like… a senior going out with a sixth grader."

"It's not the same once you get out of mandatory schooling," Kame insisted. "It doesn't really matter as much."

"It's still creepy."

"Whatever," Kame mumbled, throwing an arm over her face. "I'm hungry."

"Order pizza."

"I'm broke."

"You just got paid Friday."

_Now she chooses to remember my pay days. _"Fine."

Kame rolled herself off the bed and walked back into the miniscule living room the two were able to afford with their paychecks and parent backing. She searched the area by her books for her purse but came up empty handed. The kitchen? She checked every square inch of the tiled area. No. Bathroom? She didn't even use the bathroom.

_Where the hell did I—_

She never grabbed it out of the locker for the dressing room at Sanya's. She left it there. Again.

"Damnit!"

~0~

Sakura was sweeping up the remains of yet another dropped glass when the last couple finally let and one of the waiters—Sai she was pretty sure—flipped the sign on the door to, _CLOSED._ Apparently angry confrontations and glass were a bad combination for her. Yelling made her too jumpy.

"Sakura." Said girl looked up at the hostess who had taken over Kame's spot at the end of her shift. "Sanya told me she and Naruto are going to lock up so we can go ahead and leave."

"Oh. Well, um, I'll finish this up and then head home." She gave the hostess a small but grateful smile. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Sakura finished sweeping the glass shards into a neat pile and was reaching for the dust pan when Sanya emerged from the office she had disappeared to hours ago. She looked down at the mess Sakura was cleaning up and clucked her tongue in disapproval.

"How many of my glasses are you going to break?"

Sakura's eyes widened as she recognized her new boss's voce and slowly looked up, dread settling in the pit of her stomach.

"Am I fired?" Before giving the elder a chance to think it over, Sakura hurried into a rapid fire apology. "I only broke three—maybe four—and I'm really sorry. I was just nervous because it was my first day, but I'll be a hundred and fifty times better tomorrow. And you can take it all out of my check… if I still have one, that is."

Sanya let out a laugh, finding the girl's bashfulness all too funny. "I was only kidding!" She smiled down at Sakura. "You are off the hook this time because you have the first day cushion, but if you screw up this much again, I'm going to have to fire you. I don't need the others thinking I'm playing favorites."

Sakura's eyes widened in horror. Could she keep it together tomorrow and not drop _one _glass?

"I…"

"Only kidding!" Sanya laughed again, throwing her head back. "Just try you best. And it would do you great in this world if you learned how to take a joke."

"Right."

"Go ahead and get changed," Sanya ordered, shooing Sakura away from the mess she was trying to clean up. "I'll finish cleaning this up. Least I can do for making you work all day on your very first day."

"But—"

"Go on now." Sanya was pushing Sakura from behind the bar. "Go on home."

"Okay," Sakura finally agreed, subjecting to the old woman's persistence. "I'll go home."

"Good." She watched Sakura head to the dressing room. "And you're going to need to have you own uniform for tomorrow!"

"Alright!"

Sakura disappeared into the dressing room, leaning against the door with a sigh of relief. _It's over. _It was only nine o'clock, but it was, by far, one of the longest days of her life. Sakura walked over to the locker she had to the locker she put her clothes in, unbuttoning her top.

_But it was worth it._

Getting out of the house, claiming her independence, embracing the fact that she was _free _to do whatever she wanted, and talking to Naruto without bursting into tears. Daisuke would be impressed come Monday.

~0~

Naruto looked down at the table where his tips for the night rested. It was easy to say they were a lot shorter than usual. And who was to blame for all this? Naruto looked at the retreating back of their newest bartender as she headed for the dressing rooms and scowled.

_Sakura._

It was all her stupid, pink-headed fault he got all these low tips tonight. It was hard to concentrate when he knew she was _right there. _Just a hop, step, skip away. That knowledge compelled him to constantly look at the bar rather than his customers. It was that knowledge that caused him to forget about his customers because he was too busy burning holes in the back of her head with his glare. But then every time she gasped from dropping something or stuttered at a particularly angry customer, he had to fight the sickening urge to run to her rescue.

What the hell was wrong with him? It shouldn't be like this. Times had change. _He _had changed. Or so he thought. When Sakura just appeared out of thin air after falling off the face of the earth for so long, he felt like he did four months ago—the lovesick puppy who'd jump off a bridge if she told him to. It was sick and demeaning.

_And true._

If it weren't for the fact that he was trying so hard to hate her, he'd probably be at her side right now and the thought alone made him disgusted with himself. It was weak.

"Hey!" There was rapping on the window beside him and Naruto turned to see Kame banging on the window. "Open up!"

"Sorry. We're closed."

"Open the damn door, Uzumaki!" Kame demanded, banging on the window harder. "I left my bag and I need my money!"

Naruto sighed and stood from the table, grabbing his tips and shoving them in his pockets as he headed towards the door. He unlocked and opened it and Kame slid in.

"Thanks."

"You know, stalking me is really creepy."

"Oh please," Kame said, rolling her eyes, praying she wasn't blushing out of control. "Don't flatter yourself. I just left my bag and Yuuki and I are going to meet up with my pal Ichiro to see a new band. Yeah, apparently he really likes me and—"

"Didn't ask for your life story," Naruto cut in, already turning his back to her.

Kame pursed her lips and glared at the blonde's retreating back.

"Jerk," she mumbled, frowning though at the growing distance between them. Shaking the thought off, Kame turned on her heel and heading for the dressing rooms.

"Naruto," Sanya called out as she dumped the glass in the trash. "Don't just stand there. You're on clean up duty, clean up."

"Yes ma'am."

~0~

Neji and Tenten were going out tonight.

Sakura sighed and shut her phone—gift from Tenten—after reading the text that was way too long for her tiny screen, explaining how Neji had finally gotten a brain and was going to take Tenten out for a _proper _date. (Tenten's words) That left Sakura with the option of calling James, the driver, for a ride, or go wandering town for a while. Still liking the feeling of being free to choose her actions, Sakura put her phone away, deciding she wanted to look around the town.

"Where is my shirt?" Sakura mumbled to herself, shifting through her locker for the shirt she had on earlier that day. "Maybe it's in a different—"

"Holy shit!"

Sakura gasped at the uncalled for presence and whirled around, grabbing her work shirt to cover herself. She was met with a wide eyed Kame, who had her jaw dropped. _She saw._

"Wow!" Kame shouted, sounding very much like the teenager she was for once. "How'd you get that thing? Car accident?"

"Um... no," Sakura whispered, wishing she could just disappear.

"Hiking accident? Bar fight?" Kame's eyes were bright with curiosity. "God, I just got to know how you got that scar. It is by far the coolest scar I've ever seen. But, uh… sorry if it hurt."

_Claws do tend to hurt, _Sakura thought bitterly, grimacing at the memory of Sasuke's sharp talons ripping into her back. The scar had healed but the color never faded, leaving a large scar running from below her right shoulder blade to curve around her left hip.

"I… uh… I, um—"

"You got mauled by a bear, didn't you? Of course, those are _definitely _claw marks."

Sakura's brows furrowed for a second at Kame's absurd assumption, but she quickly got rid of the look of confusion. It was better to tell Kame that she was a mauled by a bear on a camping trip she never went on than have her know the truth; she was the tragic character in soap operas who is too weak and scared to get out of an abusive relationship.

"Yeah… camping trip that got out of control." Sakura was still shocked at the look on Kame's face that said she was eating all of it up. So gullible. "Hurt like hell." And it did.

"_Wow…_" Kame's eyes widened and a grin grew across her face. "I'll admit I thought you were pretty dull in the beginning –that and way too bashful—but you got your own adventures. And scars to prove it." Kame nodded her head in approval. "You have now been promoted to acceptable instead of lame."

There was a reason Sakura was happy when she finally got out of her teens.

"Thanks," Sakura mumbled, looking down at her feet.

"No problem," Kame beamed back, seeming oddly genuine. "Well, I forgot my bag and I kind of need my money. And ID. And my driver's license." Kame shook her head. "So, anyways, I'm just going to grab that and head out. " Kame went over to her locker and retrieved her purse, and Sakura stayed frozen the entire time.

"Well, it was nice to see you weren't as dull as you let on," Kame commented as she put her hand on the handle, ready to leave. "See you tomorrow!"

"Bye," Sakura said to the back of the hostess's head.

"Bye!"

Sakura waited five seconds after the door had shut before dropping to the ground, breathing heavily. That was bad. Really bad. If it weren't for Kame being so… out there, Sakura wouldn't have ever gotten away with the scars on her back. Anybody else would have questioned, worried. Kame didn't. It was one thing Sakura actually liked about the girl.

_Still… If they weren't there,_ Sakura thought, bringing her knees to her chest, burying her face in her knees to try to press the tears back. Scars of the past that weren't going away did nothing for her confidence. _They suck._ They were a permanent mark to remind her how stupid and weak and pathetic she was. She is.

Shaking off the thought, Sakura lifted her head and wiped away the tears that had formed but not fallen. She stood up and began looking for her shirt again. She didn't have time to dwell on the past. She didn't want to.

"I'm hungry."

~0~

"So Sakura is back."

"Yeah."

"And she's working here too."

"I can see that."

"You must be happy about that." Sanya stole a look at the blonde who was scrubbing down one of the tables with his back to her. "Your best friend has finally come back."

Naruto stopped scrubbing the table and glared down at it, the corners of his lip turning down. Why did the old lady have to go prying? She was as bad as Tsundae _and _Tenten. Put together.

"What trouble have you two gotten into, lately?"

Naruto scowled. "That's none—"

"I take back _everything _I said about Sakura!" Kame proclaimed, bursting through the swinging doors that led to the hallway where the dressing rooms were. "She is not weird, too shy, bashful, annoying, scared, or anything I said earlier."

"You said all that?" Naruto asked, raising a brow and feeling oddly offended for Kame's assumptions of Sakura.

"Well, I thought it, but it doesn't matter because I take it all back."

"Really?" Sanya asked, joining the conversation. "Why is that?"

"She is way more adventurous than I gave her credit for. She's got this total Wolverine slash down her back, and it is the _coolest _scar I have ever seen. It goes from below her shoulder and curves around her left hip." Kame tried demonstrating the scar. "You don't get that kind of scar out of a car accident."

"You don't say," Sanya mumbled, encouraging Kame to continue. "Do you know how she got that scar?"

"You are not going to _believe _this." She paused for dramatic effect. "She was mauled by a bear."

"A _bear_," Sanya gasped in horror, trying to see a giant black bear ripping his claws into his back. On his part, Naruto stayed still, his back still turned to the other two in the room. They were unable to see the number of emotions playing through his eyes. Anger, pain, worry, curiosity.

"I know. She didn't strike me as the—" Kame was cut off by the beeping of her phone and she pulled it out, reading the text. Sighing, she slipped her phone back into her pocket. "I have to go now. I'm supposed to be at the Spot with Yuuki and that was Ichiro texting me and he's with her already. He gets so possessive sometimes I just—"

"Didn't ask for your life story," Naruto spoke as he turned around, finally able to get his face to an apathetic state.

Kame frowned at the tall blonde. "You know, you're a real jerk sometimes."

"Didn't ask for your opinion either," Naruto bit out as he glared down at her.

"Fine," Kame spat back, her own eyes hardening. "Go jump off a cliff for all I care, I'm out." She shoved past Naruto on her way out, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Why are you so mean to her?" Sanya asked, as she watched Kame cross the street through the large front windows. "She likes you."

"Who says I like her?" Naruto growled, turning his back to his back and resuming the task of scrubbing down tables. "I don't care."

Sanya watched Naruto's rigid back as he moved on to the next table. _Such a troubled boy._

"So Sakura likes hiking," Sanya began, careful not to anger Naruto too much. "I never knew that."

"Figures," Naruto mumbled, scrubbing the rag into the wooden table harder. _It's because Sakura _hates _hiking. _

"I remember the day before Sakura left with Sasuke." Sanya noted the tension in the blonde's shoulder as he scrubbed even harder. "She was wearing one of those halter top girls favor these days. I didn't see any scars."

Naruto clenched his teeth. He knew that Sakura didn't have any scars. In fact, her skin was completely flawless and he knew that because he would marvel at it all the time, a sickening thought. That meant that she had gotten the "wolverine slash" when she was staying with Sasuke, meaning either Sasuke had done a crappy job protecting her or he was the source of those claws, because there is no way in hell Sakura went hiking and got mauled by a bear. A bear would have killed her. Either way, it was _his _fault.

"She must have gotten it when she was with Sasuke." Sanya continued. "I wonder if—"

"Why the hell are you talking about this?" Naruto snapped, turning to glare at the old lady. "So, she got some huge scar down her back? So what! Why should I care?"

"You're her friend."

"I _was _her friend," Naruto corrected vehemently, throwing his rag down on the table. "I'm not friends with annoying, persistent bitches!"

"Well…" Naruto froze and he looked away from Sanya to see Sakura standing only a few feet away.

_Shit._

"I'm not friends with cold hearted bastards," Sakura spoke with a surprising amount control. While her eyes were set with determination, her lip was quivering and you could see the glassiness in the jade orbs.

Naruto pressed his lips together, no longer feeling the small amount of regret he had when he was overhead.

"No, you just fuck 'em."

The tears began to form and Sakura's bottom eyelid felt heavy, but she refused to whimper or frown in front of Naruto. Her lip trembled like crazy but she kept it from turning downward and even through the stinging of her eyes she managed to look defiant.

Naruto was surprised.

"Bye, Sanya," Sakura spoke, looking only at her new boss. "I'll see you tomorrow night." Sakura then turned on her heel and walked out of the restaurant.

Naruto stared after her for a while, a slight bit sad and a lot of angry. Then something clicked.

"Did she say tomorrow _night?"_

"I gave her night shifts," Sanya shrugged, resuming her sweeping, not wanting to deal with the blonde after that confrontation. "I have bartenders to cover all the other shifts, but I needed another one on the night shift. Sakura and Akane will be working the bar on the night shift." Sanya reached for the dustpan, turning her back to Naruto, silently signaling this conversation was over.

"I want to go back to my afternoon shifts," Naruto stated. "I can get here on time after community service now."

"Sorry, already filled the spot."

"Then unfill it!" Naruto shouted glaring at the old lady's back. "I don't care what you have to do, just get me out of that damn night shift and away from her!"

"It seems you have forgotten that _I _am the boss," Sanya snapped in a level tone, but crisp enough to be frightening. "You do what _I _say, and since_ I_ pulled all those strings to get _you_ this shift,_ you_ aregoing to be here every night, on time, and you will close up." And just for the spite of it, she added, "With Sakura."

"I'm not—"

"_I'm_ the boss here, and you do as I say or lose your job." Sanya looked the boy in the eye, daring him to disagree or open his mouth. "You'll be here tomorrow night."

"Whatever," Naruto huffed, going back to the table he had been cleaning.

"I'm trying to help you," Sanya spoke in a softer voice. "You can't keep running away."

~0~

Sakura walked down the sidewalk with a hurried pace, taking deep breaths and wiping away tears with the back of her hands. She couldn't believe she just did that. Did she really just talk _back _to Naruto and not cry? Did she seriously just look him in the eyewith some… form of defiance? Was that even her back there?

Sakura placed her hand to her chest, still breathing hard from the shock. She looked over her shoulder, having some crazy thought Naruto would come chasing after her.

_Relax, _Sakura told herself, beginning to walk at a normal pace. _You've talked back to people before. To Naruto before. It's normal._

What wasn't normal was a fist not coming at her face. Or… did she have it backwards? Being able to walk away without bruises or scars was normal. She managed to brainwash herself so much in the past few months, she considered the punishments for her smart mouth normal. Normal!

"What's wrong with me?" Sakura asked herself, wiping her tears away and laughing hysterically. Now she was laughing. _Laughing! _Maybe she really did need therapy.

"Are you alright?"

Sakura looked down to see a little boy looking at her in curiosity, while his mother tugged at his arm with urgency.

_I must look terrifying. And crazy._

"I'm fine," Sakura assured the boy, wiping her eyes. "You should hurry up and go with your mom." The boy gave her an innocent and uncertain look, but stopped resisting and let his mother drag him away.

Sakura took a calming breath and continued walking, burying her irrational fears in the back of her mind to be rediscovered another day. She passed shops and markets and restaurants, searching for a place that would satisfy her appetite and do it for a low price. Finding a group vending machines a few yards ahead of her, Sakura decided it would be enough to hold her until she was able to compose herself and go back home.

Digging the few tips she was able to rack up that afternoon from her pocket, Sakura bought herself two bags of chip and a soda before settling on a bench near the curb. She opened up a bag and began to eat. Alone and fighting back tears.

It was nothing new.

~0~

He didn't want to see her and he sure as hell didn't want to go up to her and actually _talk. _But, like moth drawn to a flame, his feet drew him towards her without the confirmation from his mind. It was her stupid fault for sitting in the middle of his path to Ichiruko's. And when he noticed the glassiness of her eyes, as much as he hated himself for it, he _couldn't _turn his back to her and just… _leave _her there. Bad habits always die hard.

He came to her from behind, remaining invisible until he actually opened his mouth to speak. "You look like crap."

Sakura jumped about ten feet in the air, scattering her chips on the ground as the bag fell from her hands. Whipping her head around, she stared dumbstruck at Naruto. What was he doing here? Was he really going to punish her for her smart comment back there?

_No, _Sakura told herself. _This is Naruto. Don't be stupid. _And she knew that, even though he seemed to hate her guts, Naruto would _never _hit a woman. Even her.

"Don't just look at me like you're stupid," Naruto bit out, agitated. He should have just kept on walking. Or taken another route. "Why are you here?" Crap. Now it seemed like he actually cared. "Not that I care." That wasn't a very good cover up.

Sakura ignored him and opened up her second bag of chips and began chomping. What could she say really? She was too emotionally imbalanced to be seen by anyone at the Hyuuga house, knowing it would only make Tenten worry more? Or maybe she could just bring up the fact that she's so messed up that she has to see a therapist. Or maybe she should explain that he was right, she was an idiot, and she spent the last four months getting the shit beat out of her and she will never have children. Oh, and she dropped out of med school.

"I know you don't believe me," Sakura finally began, needing to get the words out, "But I really am sorry. I'm sorry about… about how bad I treated you and how I didn't listen. I know… I know I pissed you off, but I'm sorry."

Sakura refused to look at him when she finished and Naruto remained stoic as he listened. He listened this time though and didn't blow her off and he felt the truth behind her words. He didn't accept the apology, he didn't even speak, but he slid onto the bench on the other side so it would look as if they were strangers to one another to the people passing by.

"I heard you were attacked by a bear," Naruto brought up easily, prying for more information. He watched as she flinched and his curiosity spiked. "How'd that go for ya?"

Of course, while Kame didn't pry, she had a big mouth and told people who _would _press her for the truth. Thinking about Sasuke made her tense and uneasy. It scared her because she knew that he was still out there, possibly looking for her.

"I survived." Sakura bit out. And she had. The problem now was to keep it that way.

Naruto studied Sakura's tense expression and, though she probably didn't notice it, he saw a flicker of the Old Sakura, the one he loved, as determination played in her eyes. It was almost a shock to see that she hadn't died completely inside.

Without a word, Naruto stood up and began walking the route he was taking when she appeared in his way. Sakura said nothing and didn't look after the tall blonde and the two separated as if the conversation had never happened.

But it did. And because of that conversation Naruto decided he no longer hated Sakura with a _passion. _No, he would just simply… _dislike _her with a passion. Dislike and nothing more.

_**-0-0-0-0-0-**_

_**Okay**__, __**so I know some people might criticize me for making Naruto semi-forgive her right now, so I will explain my reasoning briefly. 1)It has only been 4 months, not an entire lifetime, so I don't think—well, as the writer, I know—he doesn't hate her as much as he's been telling himself. Like her? No. But he doesn't really **_**hate **_**hate her. 2) Naruto begins to see the… **_**real **_**Sakura I guess. Sakura was traumatized and he hated the way she changed, but now that he sees that she is still somewhat like herself, he's lightening up again. Just a bit though. And 3) It's chapter 9 and I need to make **_**some **_**progress.**_

_**Alright, I also know a lot of you are pissed that I took forever to update which is completely understandable and I am sorry, but I can't promise I'll update soon because… well, because I have to actually know what's happening, but I'm still sorry!**_

_**Okay, now, even though I'm bad on updating, PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE! And thank you.**_

_**~Kimiko888~**_


	10. Ugly

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**I meant to do this last week, but then I got distracted and I also meant to do it yesterday, but I got distracted again. But today I woke up with a plan to get this done because it's been… almost half a year which is really bad. I was watching this movie on Lifetime (there was nothing on t.v) and the girl was in an abusive relationship and she refused to look at the mirror which is what finally got me over my writer's block to write this chapter.**

**Get Out, Get Away**

**Chapter 10: Ugly**

"…and I think we've come to some sort of understanding," Sakura told Daisuke after her first week at work. "We're not… _friends _or anything, but he's not glaring daggers at the back of my head anymore." Sakura found herself smiling as she thought back to the indifferent look Naruto gave her yesterday as they wiped down tables together. It wasn't the bright, charming smile that she loved to see when they were friends, but it wasn't a look of hate mixed with large amounts of disgust. "I think that's a good start. It is a good start, right?" Sakura asked her therapist for reassurance.

"Of course," Daisuke assured the pinkette, offering a small smile to help ease away Sakura's insecurities.

"Oh. Good," Sakura laughed sheepishly at herself, tugging at the sleeves of her shirt out of habit. "I'm glad to know I'm not hallucinating that things aren't as bad as they were."

Daisuke gave a sad smiled that went unnoticed by the woman that sat across form him. She was finally loosening up, not tense in front of him and actually willing to share. She was finally opening up and he hated that he was about to take that small opening and rip it wide open and pry her for information. He didn't want to push her, but they've been together for three weeks and haven't even touched base on the big problem here. Yes, her conflict with Naruto was a problem, but he wasn't called about Naruto; his job was to help her deal with the reality that she was, in fact, in an abusive relationship. How could he help Sakura come to grips with her current situation if they completely avoided the issue? What kind of therapist would he be?

"Tenten says that we'll be friends again by the end of the month," Sakura continued, "but I don't want to push my luck and jinx myself." She laughed sheepishly to herself, smiling down at her lap. "I'm just glad he doesn't hate me."

"That's great." Daisuke said, preparing himself for her reaction when he brought up the subject. "It's also good to know you don't get uneasy around the opposite sex."

"What?" Sakura asked her smile replaced with a look of confusion.

"Oh, well, a lot of women don't like being around men right after they get out of an abusive relationship." He watched Sakura freeze up. He officially felt like an ass.

Sakura sat frozen, staring at her therapist. For the past three weeks she had seen Daisuke as just a person she could talk to about Naruto without being judged—simply listened to. A friend. A friend that cared so much about her the he would write down some of the things she said so he could input it in his long term memory. Daisuke was just supposed to be another friend, but he reminded her of his role as her therapist with that one statement. That one _stupid _statement.

"I wasn't in an abusive relationship," Sakura mumbled, knowing she was in denial even as she said it.

"Sakura," Daisuke started in a soft voice, approaching the topic with caution, "it's normal to be in denial at—"

"We just weren't compatible," Sakura cut him off, her hands beginning to tremble in her lap and she tugged harder at her sleeves. "We just didn't work well together. It's normal."

"Sakura." Daisuke leaned in closer over his desk. "Do you really believe that? That getting hit by the man who is supposed to love you is _normal?"_

"_Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Sasuke pulled hard at her hair and yanked Sakura off the ground and glaring into her bloodied face. "God damnit woman, open your fucking eyes!"_

_Sakura gave in and cracked her eyes opened and whimpered at the furious look on Sasuke's face. He didn't even transform. He was doing this all on his own will._

"_Y-you're hurting me…" Sakura whispered, her scalp screaming as Sasuke gave her hair another pull. _

_Sasuke smirked. "Really?" He threw her against the wall harshly and pressed his body against hers before she had a chance to fall to the ground. "How about that? Did that hurt?"_

"_S-Sasuke…" Sakura pleaded weakly. "I-I'm sorry. Just stop… Pl—"_

_His fist slammed into her gut and Sakura lurched forward and threw up blood, gasping for breath._

"_Did that hurt Sakura?" His fist connected with her gut again and she was in too much pain to scream. He pushed off her and she fell to the ground, clutching her stomach. He kicked her hard in her side. "How about that?" He kicked her again. "Do you feel the pain?"_

_Sakura curled herself into a tight ball trying to stop the pain even as he continued beating her already battered body. She didn't get it. Why was he laughing?_

_She looked up at him through the hair that fell over her face._

_Why was he smiling?_

"Sakura," Daisuke called out to her, saving her from the torture of her past. She looked up at him startled and he felt an intense pang of guilt hit him when he saw the pained and tortured look that she tried to control. He shouldn't have pushed her. "Talk to me, Sakura."

"I don't have anything to say," Sakura whispered.

"Nothing? Let's start with some basic feelings, maybe?" Daisuke tried to coax Sakura. "Are you relieved that you're out of the relationship? Confused? Scared?"

"Why would I be scared?" Sakura snapped, her sleeves now covering her entire hand.

"That… that he might come back for you." Daisuke watched Sakura's sharp intake of air and knew he had hit the nail on the head. "How does this make you feel, Sakura?"

She didn't answer. She fixed her gaze on the wall and picked a spot to stare at for the rest of the session. She kept her lips sealed shut.

_Tick._

_Tock._

~0~

"Revenge. It's the first step to mending a broken heart."

"I don't have a broken heart," Naruto scoffed as he juggled two oranges in his hands. "And that revenge stuff with all the scheming is for girls. It's why I like being a guy—just have a good fist fight and the problem is basically resolved."

"But you can't punch a girl," Kiba told his friend as he dropped three boxes of cereal in his cart. "Only pricks do stuff like that. Then again, you have been an asshole for a while now."

Naruto stopped juggling the oranges and chucked one at his friend's head and Kiba ducked, just barely saving himself form a headache.

"That was a perfect example!" Kiba exclaimed, looking to Sai who had his nose in a book. "Right, Sai?"

"His temper is more flamboyant than usual."

"I'm not about to hit a girl," Naruto sighed, rubbing his temples as he dropped the other orange in the cart. No matter how much Sakura pissed him off the thought of hitting her never crossed his mind. Just the thought of doing something like that made him sick.

"I read in a book once that the best way to settle problems conflicting with the heart is to sit down with that person and talk about it."

Kiba and Naruto exchanged a look and laughed. "And that is why you're here to help carry bags and not give advice," Kiba said, pushing the cart out of the cereal aisle.

"I wouldn't be here to begin with if Hinata didn't have you so whipped. You're not even married."

"They're not even _engaged."_

"Shut up!" Kiba shouted, taking the orange Naruto had dropped in the cart and threw it at Sai who just moved his book to block the blow. "You have just gotten yourself uninvited to Poker Night."

"Don't do that, Kiba," Naruto warned. "Sai is the only other person besides me with a decent amount of money to put on the table."

Kiba grumbled under his breath before snatching the shopping list Hinata had given him from Sai's hand that wasn't holding his book. "Sai, go get the milk, cheese, and stand in the long deli line and get some smoked turkey."

Sai turned left without a word towards the dairy section, not once looking up from his book.

"Now that he's gone," Kiba started, taking a pen and marking items off his list, "let's get back on topic; revenge."

"I don't want to get revenge on Sakura," Naruto sighed. "I just want…" To change the past? Stop being affected by her presence? Stop caring about her? "I want to forget her. Just completely wipe her existence from my memory." _All twenty-four years of it. Good and Bad._

"That is harsh. But it's easy to do." Naruto raised his brows in interest. "You just need to find another girl. Someone amazing that makes Sakura pale in comparison."

Naruto rolled his eyes and bit back the sigh that was threatening to surface. As if he didn't already try to replace Sakura with random girls he ran into at bars. _That girl doesn't exist. _

Of all people to give his heart to, he had to choose a bitch.

"Like Kame," Kiba said, turning down the spices aisle. "I think your personalities go well together. You know, with your new, brooding, assholish personality," Kiba clarified. If Naruto was still the guy he used to know that would laugh and smile to brighten the mood in even the most serious situations the image of him and Kame together would be all wrong.

"I don't want to date Kame." Naruto didn't have anything against Kame, but she could be annoying and she was still at that age where she needed more maturing. And Naruto just _didn't _like Kame that way. "I don't want to date anyone! I want to _forget."_

"No need to cause a scene," Kiba mumbled, looking around at the few shoppers that had stopped their carts to glance in the direction of Naruto's outburst. "That was just the easiest way to forget about Sakura."

"_Easiest? _As in there's another way to forget somebody, but it actually requires effort?" Naruto just realized how desperate he was to be asking Kiba, idiot of all idiots, for help with his dilemma.

"In order to forget Sakura you have to forgive her so you can move on."

Naruto just started at Kiba. Was he serious? First Tenten taking Sakura's side and now Kiba, one of his best friends, was telling to just… just _forgive _her. Why the hell was everyone against him?

"Are you being serious?" Naruto asked, hoping a shit-eating grin will form on his friend's face.

"Uh, yeah. You know, forgive and forget." Kiba looked over his shoulder to his friend. "Once you forgive her you'll no longer have a reason to hate her, meaning you no longer have a reason to keep her on your mind."

Naruto still stared at his friend, waiting for him to yell "psych!" or laugh in his face.

He didn't.

"Fuck you, Kiba."

~0~

"Two beers and some hot wings. And can you change the channel to a _good _game. These guys are getting killed."

Sakura complied to the customer's request without a word, doing her job as if in a trance. Ever since she got out of Daisuke's office she had been in a daze, chilled to the bone. She hadn't lingered on the thought much before today, but now she was even more paranoid that Sasuke was after her. Every time the bell over the door chimed, Sakura would look up expecting to see Sasuke there wearing that cold smile that held a promise of pain.

Sakura's hand started to tremble and she curled it into a fist in an attempt to stop the shaking. She needed to relax. If she didn't relax people would start asking questions and worry and the last thing she wanted was to be assigned more hours with a therapist, classified as a nutcase.

"Hey Sakura!"

Sakura turned to see Kame now waiting at the bar and made herself smile. After Kame had discovered the scar on her back she found Sakura interesting more than an annoying newcomer. She decided to look over the girl's shyness as an effect to the trauma that was caused after being attacked.

"You do know you're underaged," Sakura said as an attempt to lighten her darkening mood.

"Has never stopped me before," Kame waved off, leaning forward over the bar a bit. "I'm actually here to ask you for help."

Sakura's brows rose. "Me?"

"Yeah. I was talking to Sanya during my shift earlier this morning and she told me how you were some super genius in high school and college so I was just wondering if you could tutor me in math."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty shitty with numbers." Kame shrugged. "I wasn't going to take math at all, but my mom said that I should take it since I'm undecided on my major and a bunch of jobs require you to be good with numbers. So, can you help me?"

"As a tutor?"

"Yeah. I'll pay you twenty dollars an hour and that could accumulate to a good amount of pocket money considering this is me you're tutoring."

Sakura laughed a bit, almost relaxing. "Okay. When do you want to meet?"

"We can work here tomorrow around noon."

"That's…" Sakura trailed off when she realized she would have to visit Daisuke again tomorrow at noon. "I can't. I have something to do."

"What is it?" Kame asked, fingering the piercing in her brow. She looked up at Sakura and saw her tense and figured she hit a sensitive topic. "It doesn't really matter. We'll meet around… three then."

"O—" The bell chimed above the door and Sakura jumped, snapping her gaze to the door. A burly man carrying a passage stepped through the threshold and Sakura calmed down a bit. "Okay," she said to Kame. She tried to smile but the corner of her lips twitched. "We'll meet here tomorrow at three."

Kame studied Sakura carefully, not missing the way her hands shook as she tugged at the cuffs of her sleeves. She knew Sakura wasn't attacked by a bear but—despite popular belief—because she wanted to be nice to the new fragile girl, Kame faked ignorance. It was insulting to know that some people thought she was that oblivious. She wasn't that good of an actress.

"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow." Kame slid off the bar, knowing that her curiosity would get the best of her if she stayed any longer and it was more than obvious that the woman before her was a bundle of nerves. "Thanks."

"No problem," Sakura mumbled, turning her attention to the man who had walked in with the box.

Naruto watched from a distance in a booth. It was a quarter until closing time so no more customers were coming in and his section was empty. He watched Kame wave goodbye to Sakura and walk out the door. Kame. Even _Kame _was warming up to Sakura. It was fucking ridiculous.

And they all wanted him to forgive her. She made a mistake, she was trying to repent, it was only four months—the reasons to forgive her were all the same. People don't understand how much it hurt that she ran off with a guy she knew for maybe a year and leave him, best friend for _years, _behind in the dust. It really makes you wonder how much you meant to someone when that happens.

He didn't _hate _Sakura, he sure as hell didn't like her, but he didn't hate her. He did hate how everyone just welcomed her immediately with opened arms. It was as if Sakura could do no wrong. She left _all of them _behind, not just him, so why were they all so quick to forgive? Especially Tenten. She was like his sister; how could she just side with the enemy so quickly?

Naruto's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he watched Sakura nearly drop another glass for the hundredth when the bell chimed. He rolled his eyes at the almost panicked look Sakura gave the door before she went back to filling a customer's glass and tugging at her sleeves. She was paranoid about something and at the same time it intrigued him (he refused to use 'worried') it also annoyed him. It was just a _bell. _It wasn't that scary.

Naruto's eyes zeroed in on the cuffs of Sakura's shirt. Over the past week he realized that when she was nervous she tugged at her sleeves as if to hide something. She tugged her sleeves a lot.

Parnoia. A nervous habit. The complete personality change. Something had happened in those four months Sakura was gone and Naruto was getting tired of being out of the loop.

~0~

It was finally closing time and Sakura was able to breathe again. Everything was locked up so she didn't have to worry about anyone else entering. And there was Naruto there to stop anyone who tried to come in. Sakura looked up from the counter she was wiping to watch Naruto sweep the floor. She had complete faith in the fact that, no matter how horrible she had treated him, he would protect her.

Sakura frowned at that thought. _I'm such a bitch._

_It has to be Sasuke, _Naruto thought to himself, as he pushed dirt around the floor. _She wouldn't be back without him if there wasn't something wrong. I'll start there and then— Why do I care so much!_

Naruto wanted to slam his head into a wall to try to regain his sense of self pride. He was _still _running back to her and it pissed him off. He looked over at his shoulder at Sakura as she began filling the sink with water. If she wasn't so different he could forget her, but she comes back as fragile as fine china and he had too many questions to just walk away from her.

He stopped sweeping for a moment to look back at Sakura. She wasn't near as jittery as she was when the customers were around and she actually seemed relaxed. It almost made him happy to know his presence didn't stress her out. Almost.

Sakura shoved the sleeves of her shirt up a pit to keep her cuffs from getting wet as she began cleaning a few glasses. She dropped a few glasses in the soapy water and grabbed a dish rag and got to work on making the spotless. She wanted to busy herself in hopes that it would keep her mind on her work and not therapy or Sasuke.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Sakura was just rinsing off her third glass when Naruto appeared in front of her. "I'm washing glasses."

"That's what the dishwasher is for."

"Well it's already started so I just figured I'd get these done instead of waiting to put them in the dishwasher." Sakura took a silent deep breath to steel her nerves so she could look him in the eyes without stuttering. She now knew he hated stuttering. "Are you done sweeping?"

"Yeah." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Hurry up with the dishes so we can close up and go home. I'll start overturning the chairs."

"I'll help," Sakura insisted, picking up a towel to try her hands. "It'll be faster. More efficient."

"I forget how you have to make everything so efficient," Naruto mumbled, rolling his eyes. "It was annoying."

When he looked back at Sakura she was beaming so brightly it almost creeped him out. For Sakura she was nice to know he was still able to remember how she used to be. That last sentence had almost sounded like a joke.

_Damn, _Naruto cursed himself. _Now she thinks I forgive her or something. _He was about to say something to erase any thoughts of friendship she might have floating around in her head, when Sakura lifted her hand to brush her bangs out of her face and the discoloring of her wrist caught his eye.

"What the hell is that?" Naruto asked glaring at Sakura's wrist.

"What?" Sakura asked, searching for something like a deformed bug. "What is it?"

"That thing on your wrist." Naruto took a step closer to the bar and pointed at the yellow bruise that still wrapped around Sakura's wrist, taking its sweet time in fading away. "It's fucking ugly."

"Oh." Sakura stared down at the bruise—_the fucking ugly bruise—_for a second before tugging her sleeve down and she clenched her cuff in her sweaty palms. She had bruises like that all over her body. She was fucking ugly all over. "I'm sorry. I'll wait for the dishwasher."

Naruto's brows furrowed. "That's not what I asked. What _is _it?"

"It's a bruise," Sakura mumbled, looking down into the water. "I… I fell a while ago."

_She's still a crappy liar. _"How do you get a bruise that wraps around your wrist by falling?"

"I'm going to overturn the chairs on the left," Sakura said, changing the subject. Her hands were trembling again. She looked up at Naruto, her expression blank to hide her emotions. "You can get the right and we'll be out of here faster."

Naruto stared after her and almost demanded to know the truth before he realized that it would make it appear that he cared about her. He was just… curious. He watched as Sakura began lifting chairs and didn't miss the shaking of her hands as they wrapped around a chair's leg.

He'll just ask Tenten.

~0~

Sakura stared into the mirror that was positioned on the back of the door of her room. She stood in boy shorts and a sports bra, grimacing at the number of bruises and scars that mutated her once flawless skin. They were reminders of how weak and stupid she had been. She was hideous. Fucking ugly. It made her sick.

She took a long black sheet and tossed it over the mirror, tacking the corners to keep it from falling. She then placed a covering over the mirror above her dresser and one over the bathroom mirror. She stood back to look at her work and didn't see her reflection anywhere which was good.

She could no longer stand to look at herself.

_**-0-0-0-0-0-**_

_**Hmm… not too sure if I really like this chapter because I got a bit lost somewhere in the middle so I just typed the first thing that came to mind, but I hope it's not TOO horrible. I get my own laptop next month so I am pretty sure that will help updating b/c one of the main reasons it takes me a while to update is b/c I hate sitting at the desk in the computer room typing. Please don't hate me TOO much for taking so long to update (WRITER'S BLOCK!) and please REVIEW!**_

_**Happy Thanksgiving!**_

_**~Kimiko888~**_


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